title: Hearing loss in young adults who had ventilation tube insertion in childhood.
abstract: It is known that insertion of ventilation tubes can cause damage to the tympanic membrane and hearing deterioration in the long-term. To investigate long-term effects of recurrent otitis media and of ventilation tube insertion, we used a study group (n = 358 subjects), with or without a history of otitis media and/or ventilation tube insertion, derived from a birth cohort that had been followed for 16 years. At 18 years of age, a standardized audiometric and otoscopic examination was performed. We found that ventilation tube insertion in childhood was associated with a mean persistent hearing loss in young adults of about 5 to 10 dB at the group level with a sensorineural component of 3 to 4 dB. This hearing loss could not be explained by the disease load of otitis media in childhood. Repeated insertions of ventilation tubes caused a greater deterioration of hearing than did a single insertion. Structural changes of the tympanic membrane were a mediating factor in the causal relationship between ventilation tube insertion and hearing loss. We conclude that ventilation tube insertion in childhood may induce hearing deterioration in the long-term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Brechtje A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: de Beer
authors.forename: Anne G M
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Schilder
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ingels
authors.forename: Ad F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Snik
authors.forename: Gerhard A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Zielhuis
authors.forename: Kees
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Graamans
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001284:Atrophy; D001844:Bone Conduction; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000209:etiology*; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000209:etiology; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation / Q000009:adverse effects; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000601:surgery; D012008:Recurrence; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology