Introduction.

This supplement represents a collaborative effort by 10 clinicians from around the world who were invited by Alcon Laboratories to discuss otologic topics at a scientific symposium held in Sydney, Australia, in April 2004.

The choice of Australia as the meeting site was most appropriate, in that the country has both a modern society with first-rate healthcare and an ancient culture in which serious health problems abound, including significant otologic disease. In fact, one indication of a country's overall health status can be found in the incidence of chronic otorrhea among its children. Like children in Third World countries, young Australian Aborigines suffer unacceptably high rates of middle ear disease and otorrhea. Fortunately, advances in ototopical medications are helping us to overcome at least some of these problems.

In this supplement, you will find updates on otitis media through tympanostomy tubes and acute otitis externa, discussions of the relative merits of ototopical and systemic antibiotics, information on a new consensus-panel report regarding the use of potentially ototoxic drugs, and some specific data on how ototopicals are being used to great advantage in the Aboriginal children I spoke of earlier. I trust you will find this information useful in your daily practice.

Harvey Coates, MS, FRCS(C), FRACS 

Symposium Chairman