Table 1.
Subgroup analysis, subdivided in characteristics (a) and hearing (b).
| Subgroup analysis | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | No surgical/ablative therapy | Surgery | Ablative therapy | Appropriate statistical test | Subgroup comparison no invasive/ablative therapy vs surgery | |
| n = 35 | n = 26 | n = 7 | n = 2 | |||
| a. Characteristics | ||||||
| Sex | Chi square test (categorical binary outcome data) | p = 0.74 | ||||
| M | 19 (54%) | 13 (50%) | 4 (57%) | 2 (100%) | ||
| F | 16 (46%) | 13 (50%) | 3 (43%) | 0 (0%) | ||
| Side of disease | Chi square test (categorical binary outcome data) | p = 0.61 | ||||
| AD | 18 (51%) | 12 (46%) | 4 (57%) | 2 (100%) | ||
| AS | 17 (49%) | 14 (54%) | 3 (43%) | 0 (0%) | ||
| Outcome | Chi square test (categorical nominal outcome data) | p = 0.17 | ||||
| Free of attacks | 21 (64%) | 17 (71%) | 3 (43%) | 1 (50%) | ||
| Not free of attacks | 12 (36%) | 7 (29%) | 4 (57%) | 1 (50%) | ||
| Unknown | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Age at diagnosis (by ENT surgeon) | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.19 | ||||
| Mean (range) | 51 (21–74) | 49 (21–72) | 52 (36–67) | 73 (72–74) | ||
| SD | 13.3 | 13 | 10 | 1.4 | ||
| Duration of disease (days) | n = 33 | n = 24 | Mann–Whitney U test (numerical data with no normal distribution) | p = 0.04 | ||
| Mean (range) | 3,006 (243–12,889) | 2,465 (243–8,507) | 3,604 (1,903–6,633) | 7,403 (1,916–12,889) | ||
| SD | 2,599 | 1919 | 1963 | 7,759 | ||
| Consults with ENT-consultant | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.02 | ||||
| Mean (range) | 9 (1–29) | 8 (1–20) | 15 (5–29) | 2 (1–3) | ||
| SD | 7 | 6 | 8 | 1 | ||
| Telephonic consults | Mann–Whitney U test (numerical data with no normal distribution) | p < 0.001 | ||||
| Mean (range) | 6 (0–25) | 4 (0–9) | 11 (2–25) | 4 (2–6) | ||
| SD | 5 | 3 | 7 | 3 | ||
| Number of IT injections | Mann–Whitney U test (numerical data with no normal distribution) | p = 0.78 | ||||
| Mean (range) | 7 (2–20) | 6 (2–17) | 7 (2–18) | 12 (3–20) | ||
| SD | 5 | 4 | 6 | 12 | ||
| b. Hearing | ||||||
| Mean bone conduction first PTA (affected side) (dB) | n = 33 | n = 25 | n = 1 | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.07 | |
| Mean (range) | −42 (−74 to −8) | −38 (−68 to −8) | −53 (−74 to −16) | −52 | ||
| SD | −19 | −18 | −19 | |||
| Mean bone conduction last PTA (affected side) (dB) | n = 27 | n = 20 | n = 6 | n = 1 | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.40 |
| Mean (range) | −51 (−76 to −14) | −49 (−75 to −14) | −55 (−76 to −44) | −67 | ||
| SD | −16 | −17 | −11 | |||
| Difference (affected side) (dB) | n = 26 | n = 20 | n = 6 | NA (different patients) | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.27 |
| Mean (range) | −11 (−58 to +21) | −13 (−58 to +20) | −3 (−29 to +21) | |||
| SD | −18 | −18 | −17 | |||
| Mean bone conduction first PTA (unaffected side) (dB) | n = 33 | n = 25 | n = 1 | Mann–Whitney U test (numerical data with no normal distribution) | p = 0.56 | |
| Mean (range) | −13 (−36 to −2) | −13 (−316 to −2) | −15 (−36 to −3) | −14 | ||
| SD | −9 | −9 | −11 | |||
| Mean bone conduction last PTA (unaffected side) (dB) | n = 27 | n = 20 | n = 6 | n = 1 | Mann–Whitney U test (numerical data with no normal distribution) | p = 0.22 |
| Mean (range) | −16 (−53 to −1) | −13 (−34.0 to −1) | −19 (−38 to −7) | −53 | ||
| SD | −12 | −10 | −11 | |||
| Difference (unaffected side) (dB) | n = 26 | n = 20 | n = 6 | NA (different patients) | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.20 |
| Mean (range) | −1 (−18 to +9) | 0 (−18 to +9) | −4 (−11 to +5) | |||
| SD | −6 | −6.5 | −6 | |||
| WRS first PTA (affected side) | n = 19 | n = 16 | n = 3 | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.42 | |
| Mean (range) | 77 dB (40–110) | 75 dB (40–110) | 85 dB (73–96) | |||
| SD | 18 | 19 | 12 | |||
| WRS last PTA (affected side) | n = 23 | n = 16 | n = 5 | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.73 | |
| Mean (range) | 82 dB (46–105) | 81 dB (46–105) | 84 dB (68–103) | 85 dB (65–105) | ||
| SD | 17 | 18 | 16 | 28 | ||
| WRS difference (affected side) | n = 11 | n = 10 | n = 1 | NA | ||
| Mean (range) | 13 dB (−14 to 42) | 13 dB (−14 to 42) | 18 dB | |||
| SD | 19 | 20 | ||||
| WRS first PTA (unaffected side) | n = 15 | n = 12 | n = 3 | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.86 | |
| Mean (range) | 46 dB (31–60) | 46 dB (31–57) | 45 dB (34–60) | |||
| SD | 9 | 8 | 13 | |||
| WRS last PTA (unaffected side) | n = 17 | n = 12 | n = 3 | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.79 | |
| Mean (range) | 45 dB (30–75) | 43 dB (30–57) | 45 dB (35–57) | 57 dB (38–75) | ||
| SD | 12 | 10 | 11 | 26 | ||
| WRS difference (unaffected side) | n = 8 | n = 6 | n = 2 | Unpaired t-test (numerical data with normal distribution) | p = 0.80 | |
| Mean (range) | 1 dB (−10 to 17) | 1 dB (−10 to 17) | −1 dB (−3 to 1) | |||
| SD | 9 | 10 | 3 | |||
M, male; F, female; AD, right ear; AS, left ear; ENT, ear, nose, throat; SD, standard deviation; IT, intratympanic.
PTA, pure tone audiometry; dB, decibel; SD, standard deviation; WRS, word recognition score, the loudness at which 50% of the words was correctly heard by the patient.