Objectives: (1) To assess the ability of flow cytometric immunophenotyping to detect and quantitate eosinophils in patients with eosinophilic otitis media (EOM). (2) to evaluate the association of EOM to bronchial asthma.
Methods: Twenty-one patients with chronic otorrhea or middle ear effusion (MEE) were included in this prospective cohort study. Group I composed of 10 patients (14 ears) and associated to bronchial asthma. Group II included 11 patients (11 ears) without bronchial asthma. Samples of MEE were sent for flow cytometric analysis at initial presentation. Patients with positive eosinophils on flow cytometric immunophenotyping were analyzed after one-month course of dexamethasone eardrops.
Results: EOM was diagnosed in all patients of group I and in three patients of group II. The mean eosinophils percentage was 43.5% and 14.2% for group I and group II, respectively (p = .006). Those patients showed a significant response to dexamethasone eardrops, both on clinical examination and on flow cytometric analysis with a decrease in eosinophil levels post-treatment. However, this improvement was temporary and symptoms recurred after treatment cessation. Bronchial asthma was not associated to all patients with EOM.
Conclusion: Diagnosis of EOM remained mostly clinical; flow cytometry immunophenotyping of MEE may be helpful as an additional tool in diagnosis and monitoring the response to treatment, particularly in non-asthmatic patients.
Keywords: Eosinophilic otitis media; flow cytometry; immunophenotyping; middle ear effusion.