Taste function in elderly patients with unilateral middle ear disease

Objective It is generally said that taste function deteriorates naturally with age. Taste function after middle ear surgery in elderly patients has not been clarified. Material and Methods The taste function of the chorda tympani nerve on the normal and diseased sides was examined before and after middle ear surgery using electrogustometry in 79 patients aged>60 years, and the findings were compared with those in 228 young and middle-aged patients. Results The threshold of electrogustometry on the normal side increased significantly with increasing age (p70 years age group. The preoperative threshold on the diseased side increased significantly with increasing age in patients with chronic otitis media (p=0.0029) and cholesteatoma (p60 years age group tended to be higher than that of the