title: Transmyringeal ventilation tube treatment in children: hearing outcome after 10 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This ten-year cohort study intended to determine any hearing impairment and eardrum sequelae comparing children treated with ventilation tubes (VT) with an age- and gender-matched control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of children who received ventilation tubes in 1996 was during 2006 compared with a control group, with no history of VT treatment, using standard audiometry, high frequency audiometry and otomicroscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the spectrum of the standard audiometry, the differences between the groups were minimal. In the high frequency spectrum, even in a subgroup with normal eardrums, there were significant and major differences with inferior hearing thresholds in treated ears compared with the ears of the control group. The ventilation tube treated group presented a higher prevalence of eardrum pathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ears treated with ventilation tubes had significantly higher hearing levels than the control group in the high frequency spectrum. This could be caused by the history of middle ear disease, the VT treatment or both combined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: axel.hakansson@vgregion.se.
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Håkansson
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Rut
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Florentzson
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tuomi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Finizia
mesh_terms: D001299:Audiometry; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000601:surgery; D038781:Otoscopy
keywords: Eardrum sequelae; High frequency audiometry; Longitudinal cohort study; Ventilation tube treatment