BILATERAL SIMULTANEOUS HEARING PRESERVATION MASTOIDECTOMY IN OTOGENICMENINGITIS

Bilateral simultaneous hearing conservation mastoidectomy has not been previously documented. We present our experience with this procedure. Three patients with pyogenic meningitis secondary to bilateral unsafe ears had hearing preservation surgeries of both ears in a single sitt ing. Although ear surgery carries risk of inner ear damage, in our ser ies there was no deterioration of inner ear function in the 6 ears ope rated on. The air conduction threshold improved in 3 (50%) of the ears . When meningitis results from bilateral otogenic foci as in our serie s, simultaneous mastoidectomy in both ears may be the preferred method of treatment to eradicate the source of infection.