Otolaryngologic surgeries are frequent in children with eosinophilic esophagitis

The aim was to study the prevalence of otolaryngologic surgeries in pediatric patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

Retrospective cohort study at a tertiary care center. The type of otolaryngologic surgeries performed in patients with diagnosis of EoE was recorded during a 5-year period.

Seventy-five percent of patients were male, with average age of EoE diagnosis at 7.5 years with an 83% incidence of atopy. Cohort analysis revealed that 33% (119/362) had a total of 275 otolaryngologic surgeries. Surgeries performed on 119 patients are as follows: 20% bilateral myringotomy with tubes, 14% tonsillectomy, 18.5% adenoidectomy, 1.4% sinus irrigation, 3.3% bronchoscopy, and 1.4% laryngotracheoplasty (LTP); 63% of patients underwent multiple procedures. Thirty percent of patients undergoing bilateral myringotomy with tube placement (BMT) needed additional tubes. Four of 5 LTP patients had successful operations. Twelve percent of patients had EoE diagnosis prior to an otolaryngologic surgery.

Thirty-three percent of children with EoE required otolaryngologic surgical intervention and nearly one-third who underwent BMT required additional ear tubes. A large fraction of children with EoE will undergo an otolaryngologic surgery, only a minority with a preoperative EoE diagnosis. Until the nature of this relationship is clarified, the high coincidence with otolaryngologic surgeries dictates that otolaryngologists should be familiar with diagnosis of EoE in patients.