[Surgical rehabilitation of patients presenting with chronic suppurative otitis media]

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the character of complications following divided atticoanthrotomy with tympanoplasty in patients presenting with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and mucositis in the late postoperative period. It was shown that the most common causes of hearing impairment were atelectasis and perforation of the neotympanic membrane within 5 years after surgery, formation of retraction pockets and even cholesteatoma at later time points in the postoperative period. Adequately scheduled rehabilitative measures including conservative and surgical treatment made it possible to restore hearing in 76% of the previously operated patients. Those who applied for medical aid at a later time (6-15 years after surgery) and developed, in addition, retraction pockets and cholesteatomas or experienced elevation of the acoustic perception threshold failed to reach the level of hearing they had had soon after primary surgery. It is concluded that patients who underwent closed-type sanation reconstructive surgery should be referred for dispensary observation in order to prevent the development of cicatrization processes in the tympanic cavity, retraction of the tympanic membrane, and reactivation of the inflammatory catarrhal process in middle- ear cavities.