Postoperative Hearing Changes in Bilateral Chronic Otitis Media Measured by Glasgow Benefit Plot Method

Kim, Jung Hyun; Kim, Hyung Jong

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Chronic ear surgery is one of the most common procedures performed for hearing gain. The two methods, which are used for evaluating hearing ability of the patients, are the `15/30 dB rule of thumb' and the `Glasgow Benefit Plot'. Few studies in the literature have reported hearing results by the Glasgow benefit plot method. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of binaural hearing benefit after chronic ear surgery by the Glasgow benefit plot method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five records were selected from database of 1300 chronic ear surgery performed from 1989 through 2001. All subjects had bilateral hearing loss greater than 30 dB hearing level and could be followed up audiometrically longer than 12 months after the surgery. RESULTS: From the Glasgow benefit plot method, the same hearing (inter-aural difference < or =10 dB in air conduction threshold) was achieved in 40% of the subjects (26/65), and better hearing (>10 dB in air conduction threshold better than those of non-operated ear) was achieved in 25% of the subjects (16/65). CONCLUSION: The Glasgow benefit plot method is a useful method for evaluating subjective benefit of binaural hearing in bilateral chronic otitis media after chronic ear surgery. It has encouraged surgeons to look at the results of their surgery from a more functional standpoint rather than in purely technical terms.