DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2023.v11i03.028

Pages: 645-649

Tympanic membrane perforation is a loss of substance that creates an abnormal communication between the middle ear and the external auditory canal, it follows a middle ear infection or direct trauma and is usually seen in young people. The aim of this study was to determine the etiologies of tympanic membrane perforations in the ENT department of the hospital in Sikasso. This was a prospective study over a period of 6 months from June to November 2014 in the ENT department of Sikasso hospital, involving all patients seen in consultation for tympanic membrane perforation. We collected 110 cases of tympanic perforations out of a total of 1844 patients received, i.e. a prevalence of 5.15% of cases. The average age of our patients was 25 years with extremes from 09 months to 72 years. The majority of our patients (32.7%) consulted for otorrhea, followed by hearing loss (21%), otalgia (20%), tinnitus with or without vertigo (14.50%) and trauma (11.80%). Infections were incriminated in the majority of cases (70.9%) and traumatic causes in 29.1%. Tympanic substance loss was marginal in 47 cases (including 11 attic cases highly suspicious for cholesteatoma), central (punctiform) in 46 ears and judged total in 17 cases. Unilateral perforations were found in 95 patients and bilateral in 15 cases and predominated in the left ear. Pure tone audiometry was performed in 83 patients, and found transitional hearing loss in 51.8%, perceptual hearing loss in 13.3% and mixed hearing loss in 34.9% of cases. Tympanic membrane perforations are relatively common in our practice, and occur mainly in young subjects. Otological infections and trauma are the main causes. They are accompanied by hearing loss. Iatrogenic causes due to attempts to remove foreign bodies dominated the traumatic causes in our study.