AUDIOLOGICAL EVIDENCES ON EFFICACY OF MUCOLITE THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH SEROUS OTITIS MEDIA.

Introduction: Serous otitis media (SOM) is defined as collection of fluid in the middle ear cavity behind an intact tympanic membrane without any signs or symptoms of acute inflammation occurred due to Eustachian tube dysfunction. SOM has several potential causes, leading to decreased hearing and learning disabilities. Hence early detection and proper intervention is necessary. Objective: To compare the audiological findings before and after the mucolite therapy for individuals with serous otitis media. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study, conducted in Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Manasagangothri, Mysuru from November 2014 to January 2017. 39 patients who were diagnosed as serous otitis media based on history, clinical examination and audiological evaluation are included in the study. Patients were started on mucolite (ambroxol) therapy for 3 months duration. At the end of 1st and 3rd month (Post therapy) audiological testing were repeated. Results: At the end of 3rd month, the audiometric thresholds were within normal limits. The speech recognition threshold (SRT) and speech identification score (SIS) also revealed a good correlation with the pure tone thresholds. Conclusion: The learning disability and language problem in school going children, and conductive hearing loss in adults caused by serous otitis media can be effectively treated with mucolite therapy usually, without any surgical intervention.