The otologic significance of cleft palate in a Sri Lankan population

The otologic findings from 197 subjects with repaired and unrepaired clefts and 121 noncleft controls are presented. All data were collected in Sri Lanka during a 3-week period attached to the Sri Lanka Project in 1986. Subjects were examined otoscopically and also tested audiometrically if they were able to perform a pure-tone audiogram, a performance test, or a distraction test. Subjects with clefts of the palate were found to have fewer otoscopically normal ears than the controls. A comparison between subjects with unrepaired and repaired palates revealed a similar rate of otoscopically normal ears in subjects older than 10 years of age. Comparisons for younger ages could not be performed because of a lack of subjects less than 10 years of age who had repaired palates. The impedance data were used to verify the accuracy of otoscopy in detecting effusion.