Pre- and post-operative clinical findings of tympanomastoid surgery in female divers (Haenyeo) of Jeju Island with chronic otitis media.

CONCLUSIONS

A tympanomastoid surgery can control chronic otitis media (COM) and improve hearing effectively in Jeju women divers (Haenyeo) without any complications.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the long-term results of tympanomastoid surgery in Haenyeo patients with COM to determine any link between their diving behavior and COM.

METHODS

The medical records of 207 COM patients who underwent tympanomastoid surgery were reviewed for demographic characteristics, etiologic analyses, pre- and post-operative hearing levels, types of tympanomastoid surgery with ossiculoplasty, and post-operative complications. The patients were divided into a 'Haenyeo COM group' of 98 patients and a 'general COM group' of 109, and followed up for at least 3 years.

RESULTS

In the audiologic study, the Haenyeo COM group showed a relatively larger pre-operative air-bone gap than the general COM group. There were no statistically significant differences in middle ear swab culture results, the rates of re-perforation of the tympanic membrane or re-operation, or the risk of post-operative complications between the two groups. However, the possibility of COM accompanying cholesteatoma was higher and the canal wall down mastoidectomy was more frequently performed in the Haenyeo COM group (both p < 0.05).