Prospective study of tympanic membrane retraction, hearing loss, and multifrequency tympanometry.
Tympanic membrane retraction is a significant sequela of OME and has been linked clinically to atelectasis, ossicular erosion, and cholesteatoma. We investigated important factors for prediction of tympanic membrane retraction in a prospective study of 112 children. After 4 to 6 years of follow-up, 12% of ears had pars tensa retraction without atrophy, and 28% had various degrees of retraction with atrophy. Mild pars flaccida retraction was present in 23%, and severe pars flaccida retraction was present in 12%. Retraction severity was related to hearing level and multifrequency tympanometry. Three factors were significantly related to retraction severity: type of tube, male sex, and percent of visits in the second year with abnormal tympanograms. This study shows that type of tube was the most important factor in long-term outcome after tympanostomy tube treatment of OME.
Li
Y
Y
Department of Otolaryngology, Otitis Media Research Center, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Hunter
L L
LL
Margolis
R H
RH
Levine
S C
SC
Lindgren
B
B
Daly
K
K
Giebink
G S
GS
D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests / Q000379:methods*; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010898:Pitch Perception / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000503:physiopathology
D018836:Inflammation Mediators