title: Prospective tympanometry in 3-year-old children. A study of the spontaneous course of tympanometry types in a nonselected population.
abstract: For six months we observed all 3-year-old children showing type B or C tympanograms at a prevalence study in a geographically limited area (372 ears or 37.2% of the screened total) to study the spontaneous course of middle ear effusions. A considerable test-retest stability was found only for type B. In type C, such stability was equally rare whether the middle ear pressure was highly or only slightly negative. Conversion to type A was observed in about 70% of cases. Ears having a middle ear pressure from -100 to -199 mm H2O almost always returned to normal. The tendency for a negative middle ear pressure or middle ear effusion to develop was the same for both sexes. Conversely, the prognosis of an effusion, once formed, differed significantly, with only girls showing a brief course. Accordingly, a sex-differentiated evaluation appears to be needed in preschool tympanometric screening, and should be included in all clinical considerations when middle ear effusion is demonstrated in young children.
mesh_terms: D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests / Q000145:classification; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors