Abstract
Twenty-six infants of mean age 13.8 months have been studied longitudinally to assess the viability of routine otoscopic and acoustic impedance bridge examinations with the very young child. The population were selected from children presenting at a Health Centre for measles immunisation and additionally provided an opportunity for a study of the middle ear after the introduction of a live virus. A play technique was developed which, by the end of the series of tests, produced a very high success rate. Of 21 children examined on the day of immunisation, 8 were found to have tympanograms indicative of middle ear disorder. Extended tests on 4 of these children showed that the acoustic impedance bridge shewed middle ear dysfunction for considerable periods after otoscopic examination indicated a return to normal. No evidence was found of a relationship between the measles immunisation and later middle ear disorder although the high incidence of spontaneous abnormality prevented firm conclusions from being drawn.