Comparison of Postoperative Pain in Patients Following Transcanal Endoscopic Versus Microscopic Ear Surgery

OBJECTIVE:To compare levels and causes of postoperative pain after cholesteatoma removal by transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES) versus microscopic ear surgery (MES). STUDY DESIGN:Prospective case series. SETTING:Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS:One-hundred-and-sixty-one patients who had undergone middle ear surgery between February 2013 and April 2016. INTERVENTIONS:Comparison of postoperative pain between TEES and MES groups and among TEES and MES subgroups divided by range of bone removal. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Two parameters were used to assess postoperative paina pain numeric rating scale (NRS) and number of times a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) was taken from postoperative days (PODs) 1 to 7. We also examined the primary factor behind postoperative pain looking at1) the surgical incision; 2) bone removal; and 3) number of involved middle ear regions. RESULTS:One-hundred-and-six patients underwent TEES and 55 underwent MES. The mean pain NRS for the 7-day postoperative period was significantly lower for the TEES group (1.1) than the MES group (2.8) (p