The effect of topical adrenaline on the development of myringosclerosis after tympanostomy tube insertion.

Objective: To determine the effect of topical adrenaline application after myringotomy and before tympanostomy tube placement on the development of myringosclerosis.

Study design: A prospective, randomized, double-blind study, with each patient acting as his or her own control. Ethical approval and full parental consent were obtained.

Setting: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in a university teaching hospital.

Patients: Fifty children satisfying inclusion and exclusion criteria for first-time tympanostomy tube insertion. THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION: Myringotomy followed by adrenaline application to incision before tympanostomy tube insertion. Control contralateral ear received saline application after myringotomy. Follow-up examination was done 14 to 21 days after surgery and again after 1 year by a single blinded surgeon.

Main outcome measure: Comparison of myringosclerosis between adrenaline-treated ears and matched control ears.

Results: No difference was found in early morbidity between the two groups of ears. Myringosclerosis after 1 year was not found to have been significantly affected by adrenaline application (p = 0.2)

Conclusion: The use of adrenaline on the myringotomy site before tympanostomy tube placement was not found to influence early postoperative morbidity or the later development of myringosclerosis.