Background: Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) is an unresolved inflammatory process of the middle ear and mastoid, usually associated with tympanic membrane perforation, otorhea from the middle ear for over than 12 weeks and hearing loss. CSOM can occur with or without cholesteatoma.
Method: Prospective study at 3 ENT hospitals in Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh city, Viet Nam that estimate the yearly incidence of CSOM to be 50 cases per 100,000 persons in children and adolescents aged 15 years and younger and 20 cases per 100,000 persons in 16–60 aged.
Results: Otorrhea, malodorous associated with cholesteatoma, hearing loss. Air conduction threshold is within 40 dB means Tympanic membrane (TM) perforation with intact ossicular chain, if air-bone gap is more than 40 dB is associated with discontinuity of ossicular chain.
Physical findings: defect in the pars tensa of TM or the pars flaccida or both atelectatic lesions in tensa or flaccida pars squamous epithelial invasion may invade middle ear granulomas, polyps, tympanosclerotic plaques in middle ear. Complications such as facial paralysis, labyrinthitis, cerebral abcess…When central nervous system involvement is suspected, MRI should be considered, Coronal CT scan is preferred.
Medical treatment goals: Infection control, stabilization of process, prevention of irreversible damage and development of serious complications.
Surgical treatment goals: Safe ear; dry ear; hearing ear.
Conclusion: The incidence of CSOM in Viet Nam: 4–6%.
Complications can be life-threatening: 32.03%. A good result in # 80% of the cases after surgery, hearing gained post-operation: 20–30 dB. Vietnamese Bioceramics is very good for ossiculars chain reconstructive in tympanoplasty surgery.
