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Analysis of institutional authors

Caballero, MCorresponding AuthorBernal-Sprekelsen, MAuthor

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May 19, 2014
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Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Evaluation of Chlorobutanol, Potassium Carbonate, and Irrigation in Cerumen Removal

Publicated to:Annals Of Otology Rhinology And Laryngology. 118 (8): 552-555 - 2009-01-01 118(8), DOI: 10.1177/000348940911800803

Authors: Caballero, Miguel; Navarrete, Pilar; Prades, Eduard; Domenech, Juan; Bernal-Sprekelsen, Manuel

Affiliations

Hosp Clin Barcelona, Dept Otorhinolaryngol, IDIBAPS, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain - Author
Univ Barcelona, Primary Hlth Care Ctr, CAPSE, Barcelona, Spain - Author
Universitat de Barcelona - Author
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Abstract

We evaluated the efficacy over a short period of time of two ceruminolytic products, Otocerum (chlorobutanol, phenol, turpentine essence, ethyl alcohol; Reig Jofre Laboratories, Barcelona, Spain) and Taponoto (potassium carbonate, ethyl alcohol, glycerol, thymol; Teofarma Iberica SA, Barcelona), in adult subjects with complete occlusion of the ear canal due to cerumen.Ninety subjects with complete occlusion of the ear canal were enrolled in a randomized, subject- and observer-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three different treatments: Otocerum, Taponoto, or sterile saline solution (control group). The test medication was instilled into an occluded ear for 15 minutes. After this treatment, the subject's ear was irrigated with 50 mL of water. The main outcome was the proportion of tympanic membranes completely visualized after treatment.One subject among the 90 enrolled did not accept a second ear irrigation and was excluded from the study. Neither Otocerum nor Taponoto was superior to saline solution. Cerumen occlusion resolved in 21 of 32 subjects treated with Otocerum (65.6%), 16 of 29 treated with Taponoto (55.2%), and 12 of 28 treated with saline solution (42.9%).The use of Taponoto or Otocerum did not significantly improve the proportion of tympanic membranes that were completely visualized compared with saline solution when they were instilled 15 minutes before ear irrigation.

Keywords

CerumenChlorobutanolClinical-trialHypoacusisPotassium carbonateTrial

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Annals Of Otology Rhinology And Laryngology due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2009, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Otorhinolaryngology. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 1.21, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Nov 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-11-04, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 3
  • Scopus: 5
  • Europe PMC: 2

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-11-04:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 28.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 28 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 6.

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: ST LOUIS.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Caballero Borrego, Miguel) and Last Author (Bernal Sprekelsen, Manuel).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Caballero Borrego, Miguel.