Treatment of Chronic Otorrhoea with Chloramphenicol

Abstract

The common causes of persistent ear discharge are chronic otitis media, chronic otitis externa, and infection in the cavities made by tympano-mastoidectomies and fenestration operations. It is difficult to assess the proportion of the population suffering from running ears, but Formby (1942) reported that just over 2% of recruits examined during the 1939-45 war were rejected because of chronic ear diseases. Otorrhoea formed the bulk of the cases. Johnston (1948) found that of 1,902 factory employees 3.3 % had suppurating middle ears, and Asherson (1950) states that 1 % of the school population of London in 1932 were treated for chronic otorrhoea.

Ototoxicity of Topically Applied Chloramphenicol

“…These findings suggested that a histologic study to determine the topical ototoxicity of To make the investigation significant, it was necessary to: (1) set up adequate numbers of experimental and control animals; (2) use a concentration of the drug comparable to that used in clini¬ cal medicine; (3) use a control solution with a concentration and pH equal to that of the chloramphenicol solution; (4) use a relative¬ ly low dosage of the drug; (5) use it for a relatively brief period of time; (6) apply the drug in equal volumes and to the same area each time; and (7) use careful temporal bone preparation so that the end product, a his¬ tologie slide, would be meaningful.…”

The Treatment of Radical Mastoid Cavities with Skin Grafting and Chloramphenicol 10% in Propylene Glycol

“…When chloramphenicol 10 per cent, in propylene glycol was described by Lewis and Gray (1951), it was decided to compare the results of a series of cases treated with this solution with those of a series treated with B.I.P.P. The chloramphenicol results were so much superior, however, that all other forms of treatment were abandoned and now all the radical mastoidectomies are performed in the following manner.…”