Impedance screening for otitis media with effusion in Nigerian children

Tympanometry and acoustic reflex tests performed on 431 school children aged five to six years showed that eight per cent of the ears screened had type B or type C tympanograms suggestive of otitis media with effusion (1.2 per cent type B, and 6.8 per cent type C). Preliminary otoscopy revealed tympanic membrane appearances consistent with middle ear effusion in a correspondingly low proportion of ears (7.6 per cent), whilst acoustic reflex screening at 105 dB for three frequencies (0.5, 1 and 2 kHz) showed absent reflexes at one or more frequencies in 8.1 per cent of the ears. The findings indicate a relatively low prevalence of otitis media with effusion in children in Nigeria. Possible contributory factors are discussed.     

Diagnostic criteria for surgical correction of exudative otitis media in children

A total of 118 children with exudative otitis media were available for observation in this study. Pneumatization of the mastoid process was evaluated by the roentgenoplanimetric technique. A large fraction of patients (48%) with acute exudatived otitis media showed pneumatic type of pneumatization whereas sclerotic pneumatization predominated in children with chronic exudative otitis media (68%). Retractions significantly more frequently developed in ears with the sclerotic type of pneumatization of the mastoid process (91%) than in case of pneumatic pneumatization. Based on these data, the children were divided into two groups, one comprising 25 patients with acute exudative otitis, the other 35 ones with recurrent disease. It is concluded that children with the symptomocomplex characterized by low level of pneumatization of the mastoid process, conductive or mixed hearing loss with a bone-air interval of 30-50 dB, and type B tympanogram are in need of early surgical intervention.     

Screening for secretory otitis media: evaluation of some impedance screening programs for long-lasting secretory otitis media in 7-year-old children

In an unselected cohort of 387 seven-year-old children 90% had all 9 planned impedance audiometries during their first year at school. The results from these 348 children were analyzed in different impedance screening programs, as 3 consecutive screening series, each comprising two or 3 tests at an interval of 4-8 weeks. The specificity of the ASHA and Nashville programs was too low in finding long-lasting secretory otitis media, namely about 70%, so that there were too many false positive cases. Therefore, a new impedance screening program was designed. It had about the same sensitivity (80%) but a far better specificity (95%) than the ASHA and Nashville programs. The predictive value of a positive test was 15% in the ASHA and Nashville programs, but 3 times better (48%) in the designed Hirtshals program. The Hirtshals program had a referral rate of 9% compared with the 32-36% in the ASHA and Nashville programs. The frequencies of retesting were 31% in the ASHA program, 52% in the Nashville Program and 45% in the Hirtshals program. Before general screening for long-lasting secretory otitis media can be recommended, additional information is needed.     

Hearing disorders in patients with adhesive otitis media

This paper presents the results of audiological examinations of 76 patients, aged 18 to 60 years, with adhesive nonperforative otitis media. The hearing function was measured in terms of threshold tonal audiometry, ultrasound hearing sensitivity, lower limit of sound frequency perception, discomfortable loudness, dynamic range of the hearing field, speech intelligibility in the masking noisy environment. In 30% of cases hypoacusis accompanying adhesive otitis media showed symptoms that were similar to those of hypoacusis resulting from inner ear pathologies (descending audiometric curves with high hearing thresholds related to bone conduction and small bone-air interval, high thresholds of ultrasound perception, normal lower limits of sound frequency perception and positive recruitment). Study of speech intellibility in a masking noisy environment can be a good test for the diagnosis of adhesive otitis media, including the cases aggravated with secondary cochlear neuritis. The pathognomonic parameter is good speech intelligibility in both silent and noisy environments.     

儿童分泌性中耳炎的外科手术干预

目的探讨儿童分泌性中耳炎的手术干预方式，为儿童听力筛查中分泌性中耳炎患儿的干预措施选择提供临床资料。方法总结2004-2008年我院90例儿童分泌性中耳炎接受手术治疗且资料完整者45例（82耳）的年龄特点、听力下降时间、手术方式、手术前后听力状况比较。结果术前平均纯音听阈FrrA（pure-tone threshold average，500Hz，1000Hz，2000Hz，4000Hz听阈均值）从8dBHL-61dBHL，平均（34.8±12.09）dBHL。术后PTA从0dB HL-38dB HL，平均（15.9±7.88）dB HL，3耳术后听闯提高，4耳无改善，75耳听阈降低，占91.5％，平均听阈降低18.9dBHL。手术方式：鼓膜置管术9例，腺样体切除＋鼓膜置管术29例，腺样体切除＋扁桃体切除＋鼓膜置管术7例。结论腺样体切除＋鼓膜置管术是我们治疗儿童分泌性中耳炎的基本术式；扁桃体切除术不作为治疗分泌性中耳炎常规选择；对儿童分泌性中耳炎的术式选择应该个体化。     

儿童分泌性中耳炎危险因素分析

目的 探讨武汉市部分幼儿园儿童分泌性中耳炎的危险因素,并与相关文献分析比较.方法 调查武汉市部分幼儿园3～6岁的儿童,对其进行常规耳鼻咽喉科体检,电耳镜检查鼓膜结合声导抗测试,并问卷调查母亲牛育年龄、生产情况、喂养情况,家庭吸烟史,耳科病史,鼻漏,喷嚏,鼻塞,睡眠打鼾,扁桃体炎发作情况等.结果 144例分泌性中耳炎患儿和288例对照者进行危险因素统计学分析,发现鼻塞(OR=2.60,P=0.002),鼻涕(OR=1.442,P=0.003),硬腭高拱(OR=4.411,P＜0.0001),急性中耳炎病史(OR=1.77,P=0.025)是患病的危险因素.进行多因素同归分析后发现喂养情况(OR=0.746,P=0.047),鼻塞(OR=2.56,P=0.003),硬腭高拱(OR=4.35,P＜0.001),鼻炎(OR=1.397,P=0.098),急性中耳炎病史(OR=1.735,P=0.032)为分泌性中耳炎的影响因素.结论 中耳炎病史是分泌性中耳炎的危险因素.但急性扁桃体炎并不是分泌性中耳炎的危险因素,另外发现母乳喂养是分泌性中耳炎的保护因素.有急性中耳炎病史且经常鼻塞的儿童应定期进行耳鼻咽喉科体检.     

Cochlear implantation in children with otitis media

OBJECTIVE: To describe the outcome of cochlear implantation in a cohort of pediatric patients with a history of otitis media. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review and follow-up phone survey. METHODS: The medical records of patients younger than 48 months of age who underwent cochlear implantation were reviewed for demographics, complications, and history of otitis media and bilateral myringotomy and ventilation tubes. A follow-up phone survey was performed to determine the long-term natural history of otitis media. RESULTS: The records of 126 profoundly deaf pediatric patients were reviewed. Seventy-two percent had a history of at least one episode of otitis media, 31% had a history of greater than three episodes, and 2% had a history of chronic serous otitis media. Twenty-three percent underwent bilateral myringotomy and tubes in the distant past, 6 to 8 weeks before implantation, at the time of implantation, or after implantation. A phone survey was successfully completed for 76 patients with a mean follow-up period of 46 months. There was a significant decrease in the incidence of otitis media after the cochlear implantation in the majority of patients with a history of otitis media with and without a history of bilateral myringotomy and tubes. CONCLUSIONS: Placement of ventilation tubes either before or at the time of cochlear implantation seems to adequately prevent infectious disease-related complications in otitis-prone children. Therefore, implantation should not be delayed, and subsequent episodes of otitis media can be managed by conventional therapy.     

Cytokines in children with otitis media with effusion

We assayed 38 middle ear effusions from 23 children aged 4–13 years (mean 7) undergoing tympanostomy tube placements. All fluid was assayed for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-8, and IL-10. Cytokine concentrations were measured by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Detectable levels of IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-10 were found in all of the effusions. TNF-α was detected in 18 of the middle ear effusions (47.4%). The mean concentration of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-10 was, respectively, 0.423 ± 1.39, 30.58 ± 68.7, 7001.9 ± 6743, and 56 ± 58.7 pg/ml. There was a strong, statistically significant correlation between the concentrations of TNF-α and IL-1β (r = 0.87, P = 0.001) and between IL-1β and IL-8 (r = 0.53, P = 0.001). There was no correlation between the concentrations of IL-10 and other cytokines examined or between tympanic membrane pathology and the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, or IL-10. The presence of IL-10 in middle ear effusions may be one of the causes of a lack of clinical features of acute inflammation and may lead to a chronic inflammatory state. Received: 25 August 1999 / Accepted: 5 January 2000     

Systemic steroids for otitis media with effusion in children.

The role of oral steroids in the treatment of otitis media with effusion in children is the subject of ongoing debate. To critically evaluate the existing evidence, we performed a formal meta-analysis of six randomized clinical trials (n = 264 children) selected from 14 articles and abstracts. Children receiving steroids for 7 to 14 days were 3.6 times more likely than placebo-treated control subjects to have both ears free of effusion at the end of therapy (95% confidence interval, 2.2 to 4.1). This finding was essentially unchanged when the studies were weighted by a quality score, or stratified by use of concurrent antibiotic. The presence of significant heterogeneity among these studies suggests that additional trials will be needed to identify the specific subset(s) of children most likely to benefit from steroid therapy.     

Neutrophil chemotaxis in children with recurrent otitis media

The etiology of the recurrence of acute otitis media is not thoroughly understood. Recently, abnormal functions of neutrophils have been regarded as the cause of recurrent infections, and a few papers dealt with defective chemotactic responses of neutrophils in patients with recurrent otitis media.With the in-vitro agarose plate technique, neutrophil chemotaxis and random migration were measured in 20 children with recurrent otitis media to yield a significantly decreased chemotactic index compared with age-matched controls. Patients with other recurrent infections, such as recurrent parotitis and recurrent tonsillitis, showed a normal chemotactic index. Other children who had not only recurrent otitis media, but also systemic manifestations, showed an extremely low chemotactic index and revealed either defective phagocytic activity or deficiency of IgA.Defective chemotactic response may be one of the essential factors causing repeated attacks of middle ear infection.     

Otoacoustic emissions in children with otitis media with effusion

OBJECTIVES: Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) are transmitted from the cochlea to the ear canal via the middle ear and the transmission properties of the middle ear directly influence OAE characteristics. The purpose of this study was to establish the mechanisms of changes occurred in middle ear by tympanometric, audiometric and OAE examination. METHODS: Audiometric and tympanometric examination were performed and otoacoustic emissions were recorded from 22 normal ears and 52 ears with middle ear effusions and repeated 3 months later. RESULTS: Results of the air conduction in study group were significantly different from the control group and we found significant recovery in 3 months. When we analysed the DPOAE evaluation results in our study, some of the DPOAE parameters were found to be different between the control and the study group at low frequencies. Changes in the amplitude, especially at low frequencies, were statistically significant after 3 months. CONCLUSION: The results of this study revealed that measurement of otoacoustic emissions, especially distortion product otoacoustic emissions, is helpful in evaluating the condition of middle ear during the treatment.     

Adenoidectomy: selection criteria for surgical cases of otitis media

OBJECTIVE: Nasopharyngeal adenoids may serve as a mechanical obstruction to the eustachian tube and contribute to the pathophysiology of otitis media (OM). The purpose of this study was to determine whether abutment of adenoids laterally against the torus tubaris affects the outcome of patients requiring pressure equalization tubes (PET) for OM. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, prospective clinical trial. METHOD: Patients requiring PET for recurrent acute OM or OM with persistent effusion were randomized into two groups: 1) PET placement and 2) PET placement and adenoidectomy, regardless of whether the adenoids were abutting or not abutting the torus tubaris. Patients were followed for a minimum of 1 year to determine rate of treatment failure, defined as recurrence of acute OM (>3 times/year), OM with effusion, or reinsertion of PET. RESULTS: Of the 34 patients in the abutting group, 16 patients underwent only PET insertion, of whom 8 (50%) failed, whereas 18 patients had combined PET placement and adenoidectomy, of whom 3 (17%) failed. There was a statistical difference between these two groups (P < 05). Of the 29 patients in the nonabutting group, 24 patients underwent only PET insertion, of whom 9 (37.5%) failed, whereas 5 patients underwent combined PET placement and adenoidectomy, of whom 2 (40%) failed. There was no statistical difference between these two groups (P =.92). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the position of hypertrophied adenoids may alter the final otologic outcome of patients requiring PET insertion for OM. Patients with adenoids abutting the torus tubaris may benefit most from an adjuvant adenoidectomy.