Manuka Honey versus Antibiotic Ear Drops in Healing of Post-Operative Mastoid Cavity: A Prospective Randomized Trial

Abstract

Background and Objectives This study investigates the role of manuka honey in the healing of postoperative mastoid cavity.Subjects and Method This was a single centre prospective study on 40 consecutive patients of chronic otitis media undergoing canal wall down mastoidectomy. Manuka honey soaked in gel foam was kept in the mastoid cavity for the study group and antibiotic soaked gel foam was kept for the control group. Culture swabs from mastoid granulations were sent at various times from both groups. The healing of the mastoid cavity was assessed in the follow up period.Results Preoperatively 15 out of 20 patients (75%) had a positive aural swab culture in the study group while 11 out of 20 (55%) in the control group had a positive aural swab culture. The most common organism isolated was <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> and <i>Proteus mirabilis</i>. One month after mastoidectomy only 4 patients (20%) had sterile culture and 16 patients (80%) had grown organisms; in the control group, 7 patients (35%) had sterile culture and 13 patients (65%) had growth on culture. The mean merchant scores for the study group and the control were 2.61 (2-5) and 2.05 (1-4), respectively. At 3 months 13 patients (65%) with sterile culture and 7 patients (35%) had growth on culture; in the control group, 16 patients (80%) had sterile culture and 4 had shown persistent growth on culture (<i>p</i>=0.28). All positive cultures were aerobic in both groups. The mean merchant scores for the study group and the control were 1.03 (0-4) and 0.7 (0-3), respectively (<i>p</i>=0.09).Conclusion Healing of mastoid cavity was almost similar in both groups (<i>p</i>>0.05). Manuka honey exhibited antibacterial activity against <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Proteus</i>, <i>Klebsiella</i>, <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Staphylococcus</i>.