Otitis media with effusion in children with congenital or early-onset hearing impairment.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of otitis media with effusion (OME) among children with bilateral congenital or early-onset hearing impairment (CEHI) and to assess whether the diagnosis of OME had any effect on the detection of CEHI.


METHODS
The study population consisted of all patients diagnosed in a Finnish university hospital between 1976 and 1995 as having CEHI (> 25 dB, 0.5-4 kHz, in the better hearing ear). Early-onset hearing impairments were defined as losses attributed to perinatal or neonatal complications. Otitis media with effusion was assigned when asymptomatic middle ear effusion had lasted at least 2 months and tympanocentesis had yielded mucous effusion.


RESULTS
A total of 184 child patients with CEHI were identified. Of these, OME was diagnosed and treated in 28 (15%) patients. Of the patients with OME, diagnosis of CEHI was made before the occurrence of OME in 7 (25%) and at the same time in 10 (36%) but was delayed at least 6 months after the treatment of OME in 11 (39%) patients.


CONCLUSIONS
It is suggested that all children undergoing ventilation tube placement should have age-appropriate hearing examination to exclude coexisting sensorineural hearing loss.
Vartiainen
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Department of Otolaryngology, University of Kuopio, Finland.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000150:complications* / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index