Long-term outcomes in children with and without cleft palate treated with tympanostomy for otitis media with effusion before the age of 2 years

Abstract

Background

Long-term outcomes of children with and without cleft palate receiving early treatment for otitis media with effusion (OME) are unclear.

Objectives

To compare long-term otological and audiological outcomes between children with and without cleft palate treated with tympanostomy for OME before the age of 2 years.

Material and methods

Ninety-five children (180 ears) with cleft palate (study group) and 97 children (185 ears) without (control group) were followed-up to a maximum age of 7 years. We retrospectively analyzed the audiological outcomes at the age of 7 years, and the otological outcomes at the last examination.

Results

The percentages of children with OME resolution before the age of 7 years were 47.4% and 60% in the study and control groups, respectively, and those of ears with healed tympanic membrane were 71.7% and 79.5% in the corresponding groups. Significantly more ears were subjected to retympanostomy in the study (31.1%) than in the control group (21.6%). Mean pure-tone average (0.5‒4 kHz) was 15.6 dB HL and 14.3 dB HL for the corresponding groups.

Conclusions/significance

Otological and audiological outcomes in both groups were similar. The audiological prognosis was favorable regardless of the cleft palate condition.

Chinese abstract

背景：早期治疗腭裂和非腭裂渗出性中耳炎（OME）患儿的长期疗效尚不清楚。

目的：比较用鼓室造瘘术治疗两岁之内的腭裂和非腭裂OME患儿的长期耳科和听力学结果。

材料与方法：95例（180只耳）腭裂患儿（研究组）97例（185只耳）无腭裂对照组被随访至7岁。我们回顾分析7岁时的听力结果, 以及最后的听力结果测试。

结果：7岁以前OME消失的儿童占研究组的47.4%和对照组的60%, 鼓膜愈合在研究组和对照组中分别为71.7%和79.5%。与对照组（21.6%）相比, 本研究中接受再次鼓室造口术的耳朵（31.1%）明显增多。平均纯音平均值（0.5–4 kHz）在研究组和对照组中分别为15.6 dB HL和14.3 dB HL。

结论/意义：两组的耳科和听力学结果相似。无论腭裂状况如何, 听力学预后都会良好。

Keywords:

• Cleft palate
• long-term outcomes
• otitis media with effusion
• palatoplasty
• tympanostomy
• ventilation tube

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).