The diagnosis of negative middle ear pressure in children. The accuracy of symptoms and signs assessed by tympanometry.
Over a period of one year, we studied 352 children at random in order to determine whether or not a diagnosis of negative middle ear pressure can be made reliably without using tympanometry. Each child was tested repeatedly by screening audiometry at 20 dB and by tympanometry, and was examined once by otoscopy. Information about upper respiratory tract infections, feelings of oppression in the ears, and the parents' opinion of the child's hearing ability were obtained from questionnaires. Otoscopy correlated poorly with the tympanometry, while screening audiometry and the parents' opinion of the child's hearing ability were more reliable measures. It is concluded that tympanometry is an absolutely necessary tool in the clinical diagnosis of negative middle ear pressure.
D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D001299:Audiometry; D002648:Child; D003718:Denmark; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011312:Pressure