ArticleOTO open
Smartphone Otoscopy Sans Attachment: A Paradigm Shift in Diagnosing Ear Pathologies.
Article in OTO open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05813119 (Comparison of Efficacy in Diagnosing of Middle Ear Pathology Between Digital Otoscope and Otoendoscope.), which is not on this map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Comparison of Efficacy in Diagnosing of Middle Ear Pathology Between Digital Otoscope and Otoendoscope.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Telehealth Approaches for Pediatric Otitis Media and Clinical Outcomes: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Evaluation of Arclight Frugal Smartphone Video Otoscopy.The Laryngoscope · 2025Article
- Undergraduate audiology students' perceived competence and confidence in conducting otoscopic examination following video otoscopic training.BMC medical education · 2021Article
- Intriguing aural foreign body and algorithm of management of foreign body.BMJ case reports · 2021Article
- Comparative evaluation of a low-cost solar powered otoscope with a traditional device among health care workers in Malawi.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2021Article
- Optical Identification of Middle Ear Infection.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Review
- Community health worker-based hearing screening on a mobile platform: A scalable protocol piloted in Haiti.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2020Article
- Smartphone-enabled otoscopy: method evaluation in clinical practice.Brazilian journal of otorhinolaryngologyArticle
- Telemedicine-Enabled Otoscopes as Catalysts for Accessible and Preventive Ear Health Care: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social MedicineReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo study the validity of smartphone otoscopy.
settingEar, nose, and throat (ENT) outpatient clinic of a tertiary care hospital in eastern India. STUDY
designExperimental study design to compare the efficacy of smartphone otoscopy with otoendoscopes. SUBJECTS AND
methodsOne hundred tympanic membranes (TMs) of 50 patients were examined and photographed by third-year senior residents (6 years of ENT training) using a zero-degree otoendoscope. The same 100 ears were then examined using a smartphone. Assistive light of the phone was used to illuminate the ear canal. The camera of the phone was focused to visualize and photograph the TM.
resultsCompared with the gold-standard otoendoscopes, smartphones could correctly diagnose 75% of the cases. Sensitivity and specificity of smartphone otoscopy were 87.8% and 80%, respectively. Positive predictive value was 90.6%, whereas negative predictive value was 75%. Smartphone otoscopy could correctly diagnose 88.57% of normal TMs, 86.36% of retracted TMs, and 82.85% of perforated TMs.
conclusionThis modality of "smart otoscopy" has no added cost and can be used by most doctors after minimal training. It is an excellent teaching tool and can be used universally even in resource-limited settings.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.