Abstracts head & neck surgery

• Book ID: 102850040
• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1980
• Weight: 858 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0148-6403
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.2890030211

✦ Synopsis

The authors describe a clinical research project conducted in conjunction with the oral surgery department to measure the patient's eustachian tube function and hearing sensitivity following maxillary osteotomy. All patients were tested preoperatively and a t the 3rd, 6th, and 12th postoperative weeks. The results indicated that although hearing sensitivity and middle ear and eustachian tube function changed from the normal preoperative state during the early postoperative period, they returned to normal limits within 12 weeks postoperatively. The authors note a temporary mild conductive hearing loss of a t least 15 decibels across 2 or more of the lower speech frequencies. No major shift in the higher frequencies of 2,000,4,000, and 8,000 was observed. The etiology of this shift is probably edema secondary to the surgery itself, causing the temporary eustachian tube obstruction. Differences in the amount of postoperative recovery time suggest the importance of audiologic monitoring of patients following maxillary osteotomy.