Bilal Hussain, Abdur Rehman, Jawad Ahmad.
Immediate Pain Relief in Otitis Externa with Ichthammolglycerine Wick versus Steroid Ear Drops.
Pak J Med Health Sci Jan ;12(3):1008-10.

Aim: To compare efficacy of ichthammolglycerine wick with steroid antibiotic ear drops for immediate relief of pain in acute otitis externa. Methods: This was a randomized clinical trial carried out on 70 patients at Department of ENT Mansoora teaching Hospital Lahore. Patients between the age of 13 to 60 years, both male and female, presenting in outpatient department from May 2017 to April 2018 suffering from acute otitis externa were evaluated. Ichthammolglycerine pack and steroid antibiotic drops were used in alternate patients. Pain was assessed by using Numerical Rating Scale on presentation and after 48 hours. Statistical analysis was done by using Mann Whitney U Test to compare average of pain scores in two groups at presentation and after 48 hours. Results: There were 35 patients each in the Ichthammolglycerine and steroid antibiotic group. There were 48 males and 22 females in both groups. The immediate decrease in pain score was found more in the Ichthammolglycerine group as compared to steroid antibiotic drops group. The P-value was found less than .001 which is statistically significant. Conclusion: Ichthammolglycerine wick in acute otitis externa causes earlier pain relief than steroid antibiotic drops. Thus Ichthammolglycerine wick is better than steroid antibiotic drops for the treatment of acute otitis externa.

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