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Published in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology 12/2021

01-12-2021 | Otoscopy | Otology

A systematic review of remote otological assessment using video-otoscopy over the past 10 years: reliability and applications

Authors: Christopher Metcalfe, Jameel Muzaffar, Linda Orr, Christopher Coulson

Published in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology | Issue 12/2021

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Abstract

Purpose

This systematic review describes and evaluates the current literature on remote otological assessment using video-otoscopy with regards to reliability and potential applications.

Methods

Systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. There was heterogeneity of included studies, so a descriptive analysis was undertaken.

Results

Seventeen studies were included for analysis conducted across a variety of healthcare settings. Overall, there was a trend towards acquisition of adequate images for diagnosis by non-otolaryngology-specialist facilitators with reasonable agreement between asynchronous images and controls; however, there was significant variation between the studies.

Conclusion

Remote otological assessment using video-otoscopy shows potential as a safe and effective method for detecting the presence of ear disease in a wide range of healthcare settings. Barriers to the acquisition of adequate images include the presence of obstructing cerumen, and strategies to deal with this should be considered. Further work is required to evaluate endoscope-based systems to assess whether they will allow the acquisition of higher quality images.
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Metadata
Title
A systematic review of remote otological assessment using video-otoscopy over the past 10 years: reliability and applications
Authors
Christopher Metcalfe
Jameel Muzaffar
Linda Orr
Christopher Coulson
Publication date
01-12-2021
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology / Issue 12/2021
Print ISSN: 0937-4477
Electronic ISSN: 1434-4726
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06596-2

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