The effect of topical ciprofloxacin on postoperative otorrhea after tympanostomy tube insertion

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of prophylactic c iprofloxacin drops in decreasing the incidence of otorrhea after tympanosto my tube insertion. Study Design: The study design was a single-blind, randomized clinical tria l. Setting: The study was conducted at a tertiary care referral center. Patients: One hundred fifty-four patients aged 6 months to 14 years undergo ing tympanostomy tube insertion participated. Intervention: For each subject, one ear was randomly assigned to receive to pical ciprofloxacin, placed in the middle and external ear after surgery, w hile the contralateral ear served as a control. Main Outcome Measure: Posttympanostomy otorrhea, occurring during the perio d from 24 hours after surgery until 2 weeks after surgery was measured. Results: Topical ciprofloxacin application after tympanostomy tube insertio n was associated with a significantly lower incidence of early posttympanos tomy otorrhea. The rates of otorrhea for control and treatment ears were 9. 1% and 3.9%, respectively (p = 0.029). Conclusions: The topical administration of a single dose of ciprofloxacin s olution after surgery is an effective treatment for the prevention of early posttympanostomy otorrhea.