Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to demonstrate the possible relationship between platelet/lymphocyte, neutrophil/lymphocyte, eosinophil/lymphocyte, basophil/lymphocyte and lymphocyte/monocyte ratios as markers of inflammation and the usefulness of these markers to predict ossicular chain disruption (OCD) in the preoperative period in chronic otitis media patients with ossicular chain disruption.

METHODS: This retrospective study included 43 patients (19 males, 24 females; mean age 32 years; range, 15 to 65 years) who were performed type 1 (intact ossicular chain group, n=24) and type 2 (non-intact ossicular chain group, n=19) tympanoplasty due to chronic otitis media without cholesteatoma in our clinic between January 2017 and December 2019. Patients were evaluated in terms of age, side, gender, preoperative pure-tone audiometry thresholds, air-bone gap value, size and localization of perforation, and middle ear status. Preoperative complete blood count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), eosinophil/lymphocyte ratio (ELR), basophil/lymphocyte ratio (BLR), and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) values were recorded. Both groups were compared to each other statistically in terms of these parameters.

RESULTS: Air-bone gap value of intact ossicular chain group was significantly lower than non-intact ossicular chain group (p<0.05). Platelet, neutrophil, lymphocyte, eosinophil, monocyte, and basophil counts did not differ significantly between the groups (p>0.05). Platelet/lymphocyte, neutrophil/lymphocyte, eosinophil/lymphocyte, lymphocyte/monocyte, and basophil/lymphocyte ratios also did not differ significantly between the groups (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION: Inflammation markers of NLR, PLR, ELR, BLR, and LMR are not useful to predict OCD in the preoperative period in patients who are to undergo surgery due to chronic otitis media.