When the weeping stopped: an otologist views otorrhea and gentamicin.

Gentamicin sulfate ophthalmic solution, 0.3%, was used ototopically in the treatment of 300 patients with otorrhea associated with acute and chronic ear conditions and to obtain a preoperative "dry state" in 93 cases in which surgical operation was indicated. Bacterial cultures, antibiograms, and audiometric tests were conducted before, during, and after ototopical therapy. Gentamicin-susceptible pathogens were isolated in all cases. A totally "dry state", after three weeks of therapy, was considered evidence of clinical success. Administration of gentamicin was by means of a wick or at the rate of 0.3 to 0.4 ml twice daily. Clinical success was observed in 271 cases. There were no signs of ototoxicity and only one reported instance of skin reaction. This simple, inexpensive treatment is particularly adaptable to situations in which specialized bacteriological testing facilities are unavailable and a broad-spectrum antibiotic is indicated.