Tympanosclerosis: review of literature and incidence among patients with middle-ear infection

The aim of the study was to review the literature of tympanosclerosis especially its pathogenesis, to study the general incidence of tympanosclerosis among patients with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), its association with cholesteatoma and also the type of hearing loss as well as its relation to the degree and site of tympanosclerosis. Seven hundred and seventy-five patients with CSOM were studied retrospectively. A full history was taken and thorough ENT examinations were carried out. Pure tone audiograms (PTA) of all patients were done and analysed. The operative finding of tympanosclerosis as well as middle-ear status were inspected. The incidence of tympanosclerosis was found to be 11.6 per cent (90 patients out of 775 CSOM cases). Most tympanosclerosis cases had dry ear, (85.6 per cent). Of the 57.8 per cent who had myringosclerosis, their PTA showed an AB gap 20-40 dB. When sclerosis affect both the tympanic membrane and middle ear, 61 per cent of patients had an AB gap > 40 dB. The association of cholesteatoma and tympanosclerosis may be regarded as uncommon, 2.2 per cent. The exact aetiology and pathogenesis of tympanosclerosis is as yet not well known. Our study concentrated on the clinical picture of tympanosclerosis among patients with CSOM. The majority of hearing loss associated with tympanosclerosis was of the conductive type.