Can inflammatory indices predict myringosclerosis?

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Immunology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Myringosclerosis, a common sequela of ventilation tube insertion (VTI), involves tympanic membrane calcification.
• Systemic inflammatory markers, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), are increasingly recognized for their role in various inflammatory conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between preoperative NLR, PLR, and SII levels and the presence of myringosclerosis in children following VTI.
• To evaluate the predictive potential of these inflammatory markers for myringosclerosis development.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive case-control study included 75 children (aged 6-12 years) with a history of VTI, categorized into myringosclerosis-positive (n=43) and myringosclerosis-negative (n=32) groups.
• Preoperative blood samples were analyzed to calculate NLR, PLR, and SII. Statistical methods were employed to assess demographic factors, prognostic risk factors, and the discriminative power of the parameters.

Main Results:

• Children with myringosclerosis exhibited significantly higher preoperative NLR, PLR, and SII values compared to those without myringosclerosis (p<0.05 for all).
• The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that NLR had the highest area under the curve (0.76), suggesting moderate predictive capability for myringosclerosis.
• Elevated NLR was identified as a potential predictor of myringosclerosis, with a sensitivity of 0.63 and specificity of 0.78.

Conclusions:

• NLR and SII serve as systemic inflammatory prognostic markers in the context of myringosclerosis post-VTI.
• Elevated NLR is a modest predictor of myringosclerosis development, highlighting its potential clinical relevance.
• Further research is warranted to identify additional parameters contributing to myringosclerosis development.