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Screening tympanometry in infants and two-year-old children
Insights
Tympanometry results in young children show significant variability, with about 50% of ears changing type between tests. This instability, often due to common colds, limits the usefulness of screening tympanometry for predicting ear health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Otolaryngology
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Tympanometry is a key audiological test assessing middle ear function.
- Understanding tympanogram type stability is crucial for accurate diagnosis and prognosis in infants and young children.
- Previous research indicates potential variability, but longitudinal data in early childhood is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the stability of tympanogram types in infants and toddlers.
- To determine the frequency of tympanogram type alterations over time.
- To assess the prognostic value of screening tympanometry in this age group.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal tympanometric screening was conducted on 150 newborns up to one year of age, with measurements every three months.
- Repetitive tympanometric screenings were performed on 222 two-year-old children across four different seasons (November, February, May, August).
- Alterations in tympanogram types (Type A, C1, C2, B) were analyzed to assess stability.
Main Results:
- A very low stability of tympanogram types was observed, with approximately 50% of ears changing type between investigations.
- Type A tympanograms exhibited the highest stability, with 52% of ears changing type.
- High rates of change were noted for other types: 100% for Type C1, 97% for Type C2, and 84% for Type B (flat curve) at least once during the evaluations.
Conclusions:
- The tympanogram types in young children demonstrate significant instability over time.
- Common upper respiratory infections (catarrhalia) are a primary driver of tympanometric variability.
- The high degree of variability significantly diminishes the prognostic value of screening tympanometry in early childhood.
Abstract:
In 150 newborn children tympanometry was repeated each third month until the age of one year. In 222 two-year-old children repetitive tympanometric screenings were performed in November, February, May and August, and the alterations in the tympanogram types were analyzed. There was found a very low stability of the tympanogram types and about 50% of the ears changed type between the investigations. The type A tympanogram (0 to -99 mm H2O) was the most stable type, only 52% of the ears changed tye. All ears with type C1 (-100 to -199 mm H2O), 97% of ears with type C2 (-200 to -350 mm H2O), and 84% of the ears with type B (flat curve) changed tympanogram type at least once at the four evaluations. This large variability in the tympanometric conditions, most often caused by a change in the frequency and severity of catarrhalia, makes the prognostic value of the screening tympanometry very small.