Introduction
The advantages of using endoscopes in ear surgery are well described and relate
mainly to its ability to provide high quality images, visualization of the
retrotympanum, sinus tympani and corners of middle ear cleft, which are often a
challenge in the microscopic approach. Health-related quality of life (QoL) is very
important to understand the impact of medical or surgical interventions on the
patient.
Objectives
To reveal advantages of endoscopic versus microscopic approach in ear surgery through
assessment and comparison of postoperative quality of life.
Materials and Methods
A disease-specific 13-item Likert scale
outcome survey, the Chronic Ear Survey (CES), was introduced to evaluate the quality
of life (QoL) in patients after surgery for chronic ear disease. The survey consists
of the following 3 categories: an activity restriction–based subscale (AR),
a symptom subscale (ST), and a medical resource utilization (MR) subscale. A
retrospective study was held at the ORL department of Kasr Al-Ainy Hospital, Cairo
University. It included patients older than 18 who underwent ear surgery from
January 2018 to July 2021 including tympanoplasty and cholesteatoma excision.
Patients were divided into 2 groups according to approach of surgery (endoscopic or
microscopic) to compare postoperative quality of life (QoL) using the Chronic Ear
Survey (CES).
Results
Our study reported statistically significant difference
between both groups in total and all subscales scores in favour of patients who
underwent trans endoscopic ear surgery (TEES).
Conclusion
There has been a greater impact on total, general and social aspects of quality of
life (QoL) amongst patients who had undergone endoscopic ear surgery compared to
those undergoing an open surgical approach.
