Antimicrobial therapy of chronic otitis media with effusion

Otitis media with effusion is the most common cause of hearing loss in children. Prior studies have indicated that viable bacteria may be present in this process. A controlled clinical trial was therefore undertaken to assess the efficacy of antimicrobial agents in the treatment of this disease entity over a four week period. It appears that the use of antibiotics significantly improves the outcome in patients treated for four weeks when compared with patients observed over the same time period.