Otitis media with effusion in children admitted for adenoidectomy

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Pediatric Medicine
• Audiology

Background:

• Enlarged adenoids are a common condition in children, often associated with upper airway obstruction and middle ear pathologies.
• Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a frequent complication, potentially leading to hearing impairment and speech development issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of OME in patients with enlarged adenoids undergoing adenoidectomy.
• To analyze the prevalence of OME across different age groups.
• To assess the degree of hearing loss in patients with enlarged adenoids.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, cross-sectional study involving 60 patients undergoing adenoidectomy.
• Patients were categorized based on adenoid size (grossly enlarged vs. moderately enlarged) and age (0-5 years vs. 6-15 years).
• Diagnostic methods included clinical examination, tympanometry, and pure tone audiometry (PTA) where feasible.

Main Results:

• OME was detected in 53.33% of patients with enlarged adenoids, with a higher prevalence (76%) in cases of grossly enlarged adenoids.
• OME was more frequent in younger children (0-5 years) (67.86%) compared to older children (6-15 years) (40.62%).
• Common presenting symptoms included mouth breathing (80%), snoring (58.33%), nasal discharge (56.67%), and hearing impairment (53.33%). Tympanometry revealed flat curves or negative middle ear pressure in a significant number of cases.

Conclusions:

• Enlarged adenoids are strongly associated with OME, especially in cases of severe enlargement and in younger children.
• Hearing impairment is a common comorbidity in these patients, necessitating audiological evaluation.
• Adenoidectomy may be beneficial in managing OME and associated hearing loss in selected pediatric patients.