Study on postoperative hearing after tympanoplasty and the expression of Nox in the middle ear mucosa

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating enzyme Nox3 is expressed in the inner ear and is considered necessary for otolith formation We hypothesized that Nox3 expressed in the middle ear mucosa affects postoperative hearing following tympanoplasty. We analyzed the expression of Nox in the middle ear mucous of patients who underwent tympanoplasty for chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma. The Nox2 expression was high in cases where postoperative hearing was not improved or where the tympanic membrane was perforated after tympanoplasty. Further studies will be needed to determine how Nox2 affects the postoperative course of otitis media.