Influence of chronic middle ear diseases on gustatory function: an electrogustometric study.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to quantitatively determine whether middle ear inflammation associated with unilateral chronic otitis media (COM), cholesteatoma, or otosclerosis affects gustatory function.

STUDY

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

University Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology.

PATIENTS: Forty-two patients had unilateral COM (22 men, 20 women; mean age, 54.2 yr), 57 had unilateral cholesteatoma (35 men, 22 women; mean age, 42.1 yr), and 19 had unilateral otosclerosis (10 men, 9 women; mean age, 49.3 yr).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients underwent taste testing using electrogustometry (EGM) and sensation thresholds were compared in the affected and unaffected ears among groups and between affected and unaffected ears in each group.

RESULTS

Patients with COM and cholesteatoma exhibited an increase in taste threshold in the affected ears compared to the unaffected ears (p < 0.05), whereas otosclerosis patients did not. The extent of the increase of the sensation thresholds in the affected ears was very similar between patients with COM and those with cholesteatoma (p = 0.548).

CONCLUSION

Our EGM study showed that cholesteatoma and chronic middle ear inflammation affected gustatory function to a similar degree.