Learning Objectives: 1. To test the validity and test-retest reliability of the Dutch translation of the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire 12 (COMQ-12). 2. To evaluate the quality of life in cholesteatoma patients after treatment with the bony obliteration technique.
Objective: To test the validity and test-retest reliability of the Dutch translation of the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire 12. To evaluate the QOL in cholesteatoma patients after treatment with the bony obliteration technique (BOT).
Materials and Methods: 35 individuals with no history of COM received the questionnaire as well as a group of 35 patients with complaints of COM. The healthy participants had to complete the questionnaire twice (control group 1 and control group 2) to estimate the test-retest reliability, and their scores were compared with those of the patients (group 3) to test the validity. The Dutch GBI and COMQ-12 questionnaires were used in a group of cholesteatoma patients after treatment with the BOT.
Results: The overall COMQ-12 score in control group 1 ranged from 0 to 11, in control group 2 from 0 to 6, and in group 3 from 7 to 46. The mean score in group 1 was 1.43, 1.34 in group 2 and 27.80 in group 3. A comparison of the COMQ-12 scores of the two control groups and the patient group showed a significantly higher COMQ-12 score in patients with COM. The diagnostic accuracy was investigated, and a COMQ-12 cut-off score of 8 was found to have a near-perfect sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing between the presence and absence of COM. The single-measures ICCAA was 0.859 (with a 95% confidence interval from 0.738 to 0.926). This clearly exceeded the ICC threshold for acceptable reliability (ICC ≥ 0.75) and therefore confirmed that there was reasonable test-retest reliability when applying the questionnaire to control subjects. The preliminary results of the GBI and COMQ-12 questionnaires in a group of cholesteatoma patients after treatment with the bony obliteration technique will be discussed.
Conclusion: The Dutch version of the COMQ-12 has good validity, diagnostic accuracy, and test-retest reliability. The preliminary QOL results after the BOT in cholesteatoma patients will be discussed.
