Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in young children with otitis media with effusion before and after surgery.
OBJECTIVE
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is one of the commonest causes of acquired hearing loss in children with increasing incidence. In young children the diagnosis is restricted to clinical trials and tympanometry whereas evaluation of the auditory function is impossible due to noncompliance during pure tone audiometry. For this purpose, measurement of otoacoustic emissions, especially transient evoked ones (TEOAE), can be applied. The aim of this study is to evaluate the parameters of TEOAE in young children with OME prior and after surgery.


METHODS
Prospective study included 50 children with OME, both sexes, aged 2-5 years. Preoperatively tympanometric examination was performed and TEOAE were recorded. Surgery was performed under general anesthesia and included myringotomy with/without ventilation tube insertion. Measurements of TEOAEs (correlation percentage, signal to noise ratio and amplitude) were repeated on the first and six day postoperatively as well as 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively.


RESULTS
The preoperative TEOAEs were not recorded in 93.5%, with values of all TEOAE parameters being the most affected on highest frequencies. Significant changes of all TEOAE parameters were found 6 weeks postoperatively with further improvement 6 months postoperatively. Statistically highly significant difference of TEOAE between examinees with and without inserted ventilation tubes was established only in regard to preoperative results.


CONCLUSIONS
In small children with OME, application of TEOAEs in follow-up of surgical effects is a method of choice for hearing screening due to its objectivity, simplicity and ease of use even after insertion of ventilation tubes. Follow-ups of TEOAE correlation percentage and signal to noise ratio reflect the condition earlier than follow-ups of TEOAE amplitude.
University ENT Clinic, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Hajduk Veljkova 1, Novi Sad, Serbia. bebac@nscable.net
Danijela
D
Dragicević
Ljiljana
L
Vlaski
Zoran
Z
Komazec
Rajko M
RM
Jović
D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies