Management of chronic suppurative otitis media.

Chronic suppurative otitis media is typically a persistent disease, insidious in onset, often capable of causing severe destruction and irreversible sequelae, and clinically manifests with deafness and discharge. The existence of chronic suppurative otitis media in prehistoric times has been clearly documented (McKenzie and Brothwell, 1967). These authors also referred to the discovery of cholesteatoma in a skull found in Norfold, UK, and thought to be of Anglo-Saxon date. Radiological changes in the mastoid as evidence of previous infection have been the subject of enquiry in 417 temporal bones from South Dakota Indian burials (Gregg, Steele and Holzhueter, 1965) and in 15 prehistoric Iranian temporal bones (Rathbun and Mallin, 1977); both of these studies demonstrated changes compatible with previous infection in approximately 40% of specimens.