title: Long-term follow-up of children inserted with T-tubes as a primary procedure for otitis media with effusion.
abstract: This study reviews 90 children who underwent T-tube insertion as a primary procedure for otitis media with effusion over a 3-year period and compares the long-term results with a similar group, matched in terms of age, treated with conventional Shepard grommets during the same period. Fifty-one patients (102 ears) in the T-tube group and 53 patients (106 ears) in the Shepherd grommet group attended for clinical review, a minimum of 6 years post-surgery. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of pre-operative symptoms (P = 0.95), operative findings (P = 0.84), hearing loss (P = 0.75), or degree of retraction or tympanosclerosis of the tympanic membrane (P = 0.80). A perforation rate of 24% in the T-tube group, compared with 2% in the Shepard grommet group (P = 0.001) is directly attributable to T-tube insertion. Furthermore, the risk of perforation was related to the duration of the ventilation tube in the tympanic membrane.
authors.affiliation: Bradford Royal Infirmary, ENT Unit.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strachan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hope
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hussain
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation / Q000009:adverse effects; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology