[Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of bypass surgery and laser myringotomy used to treat exudative otitis...

The objective of the present study was the comparative analysis of the surgical method employed for the treatment of exudative otitis medium, such as bypass surgery and laser myringotomy. The study included 125 patients suffering from the said pathology. The following two methods were used in cases of poor efficiency of conservative therapy: laser myringotomy with the use of a LUMENISc CO2-laser operated at a wavelength of 10.6 mcm with the SurgiTouch scanner and bypass of the tympanic cavity. Each of these methods was applied to treat 38 patients. It was shown that discharge from the treated tympanic cavity stopped sooner after laser myringotomy than after surgical bypass. The recovery of hearing ability according to the results of tonal threshold audiometry also took less time after laser myringotomy than after surgical bypass. The same is true with respect to the restoration of the drainage function of the Eustachian tubes. The frequency of recurrent exudate formation (in percent) in the patients undergoing laser myringotomy was significantly lower than after surgical bypass.