Chlorobutanol, Potassium Carbonate, and Irrigation in Cerumen Removal
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
1969-12-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Accumulation of cerumen in the external ear canal is a common problem. The presence of
cerumen not only interferes with the clinician's view of the tympanic membrane, but may also
result in hearing loss and vertigo, and may predispose to ear infections.
Removal of cerumen is facilitated by the use of a variety of ceruminolytics, or wax solvents.
The current study was designed to evaluate the ceruminolytic effects of a single, brief
application of the two most frequently used products in the investigators area, containing
chlorobutanol or potassium carbonate with or without irrigation in the primary care setting
in a randomized, single-blind trial. To our knowledge, this is the first randomized study
comparing ceruminolytics with chlorobutanol versus potassium carbonate.