Disrupted harmony of the skull skeleton: Middle ear resonance in acromegaly

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether the middle ear resonance frequency (RF) is affected in acromegaly, which causes growth in the skull bone. Methods: Thirty acromegaly patients and 38 volunteers were included in the study. Pure tone average scores and middle ear RF values of the groups that underwent pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, and multifrequency tympanometry tests were compared. Results: The pure tone mean was 14.95 +/- 12.13 in acromegaly patients and 5.70 +/- 8.52 in the control group (p:0.18). Sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL) was observed in 16.6% of the patients. The average middle ear RF was calculated as 815 +/- 179.05 Hz in patients with acromegaly and 773 +/- 127.15 in the control group. ( p = 0.0001). Conclusion: This study is the first to evaluate middle -ear RF in acromegaly patients. Acromegaly-induced changes in soft tissues and bone structures impact middle ear functions. In this patient group, we found an increase in middle ear RF without conductive -type hearing loss and a 16.6% rate of SNHL.