The otologic consequences of the Omagh bomb disaster.

OBJECTIVES

The goal of the study was to compare the spontaneous healing rate for traumatic perforation of the tympanic membrane sustained in the Omagh bomb disaster with that of previous reports in the literature.

DESIGN AND

SETTING

A retrospective study was conducted at Tyrone County Hospital, Northern Ireland, 2 years after the incident.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred thirty-eight patients who sustained otologic injuries from the bomb blast were included in the study.

RESULTS

Only 47 of the 124 perforations healed spontaneously. The previously reported spontaneous healing rate for traumatic perforations of the tympanic membrane is 80% to 90%; in our study, the healing rate was unexpectedly low at 38%.

CONCLUSION

The massive explosion in a narrow street with hundreds of persons in close proximity to the bomb may account for the poor healing rate.