Taste fibers reach the anterior two-thirds of the tongue via the chorda tympanic nerve from the facial nerve. The chorda tympanic nerve may be damaged during the course of the middle ear infection or surgery. Authors investigated taste function in the 56 patients of chronic otitis media who were admitted for ear surgery preoperatively, and taste function in the 10 patients whose chorda tympanic nerve was resected during ear surgery. We used filter paper disc(FPD) method which was not only quantitative but also qualitative method for evaluation of taste function. The taste substances used in this study were sucrose for sweet, sodium chloride for salty, tartaric acid for sour and quinine hydrochloride for bitter. The results were as follows : 1) The subjects being used in this study were 56 patients as 26 non-cholesteatomatous and 30 cholesteatomatous otitis media. 2) The taste function at the side of titis media showed the tendency of decrease or loss especially to sucrose, at the area of chorda tympanic nerve. 3) The taste function at the side of the lesion in the cholesteatomatous patients was more decreased than in the non-cholesteatomatous patients. 4) Of the 7 patients who were lost of taste function preoperatively, chorda tympanic nerve was cut already or can not be found on operative field. 5) After section of the chorda tympanic nerve during ear surgery, the taste function on at the area of chorda tympanic nerve was not recovered until follow up period of 6 months, however, the taste function in the normal side of the area of chorda tympanic nerve was more increased as compare to preoperatively. From the above results, authors concluded that the taste function at the area of chorda tympanic was not recovered after resection of the nerve.
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