Quality of Life after Surgical Treatment for Chronic Otitis Media: A Systematic Review of the Literature

This systematic review aims to (a) define what instruments are available to measure quality of life (QoL) in patients undergoing tympanoplasty for chronic otitis media (COM) and what is the most commonly selected timing to do so; (b) compare outcomes from different surgical techniques; and (c) describe any reported correlation between subjective and functional results. This review was conducted following the PRISMA statement recommendations. Of the 151 articles screened, 24 were included. Most studies had a prospective design. The mean age at surgery was 44.5 years. A microscopic retroauricular approach was the most common surgical technique. Most articles included both primary and revision surgeries. The most commonly used questionnaire was the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI), followed by the Chronic Ear Survey (CES), the Chronic Otitis Media Outcome Test 15 (COMOT-15) and the Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Inventory (ZCMEI-21). Questionnaires were administered about 12 months after surgery in most studies. Ten studies reported possible associations between hearing results and QoL. QoL assessment after COM surgery variably relies on disease-specific and non-specific questionnaires. Patients are usually evaluated 12 months after surgery, and this appears to be a suitable timing to contrast the possible bias effect of different tympanoplasty techniques associated with different healing times. A comparison between QoL outcomes in different surgical approaches cannot be made, as several influencing factors have not been detailed in the included studies. Few studies have investigated the correlation between subjective and objective outcomes of tympanoplasty for COM so far.