Related Experiment Videos
Tympanometry in three-year-old children. Prevalence and spontaneous course of MEE
Insights
Secretory otitis media is common in three-year-olds, with about 10% affected. While most cases resolve spontaneously, middle ear function is highly variable, limiting the value of single tympanometric screenings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Otolaryngology
- Public Health
Background:
- Secretory otitis media (SOM) is a common condition in young children.
- Assessing middle ear function in preschoolers is challenging due to its dynamic nature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and spontaneous recovery of secretory otitis media in three-year-old children.
- To evaluate the utility of tympanometric screening for preschool populations.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal tympanometric screening of 938 healthy three-year-olds (1,866 ears) in Denmark.
- Follow-up tympanometry for six months on children with abnormal findings.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of middle ear effusion was approximately 10% in both summer and winter.
- Two-thirds of affected ears showed spontaneous improvement, with one-third achieving complete normalization.
- Middle ear function demonstrated significant lability in preschool-aged children.
Conclusions:
- Secretory otitis media has a high prevalence and common spontaneous recovery in young children.
- The dynamic nature of preschooler middle ear function limits the predictive value of single tympanometric screenings.
- Universal impedance screening for all preschool children is not recommended pending further long-term studies.
Abstract:
Tympanometric screening was performed in January 1976 and in August 1978 on 938 healthy three-year-old children (1,866 ears), constituting more than 95% of the total population of three-year-olds living in a Danish municipality at the time of testing. All children showing abnormalities were followed by tympanometry through the subsequent six months, or until spontaneous normalization had been ascertained. The study demonstrated a high prevalence and a common spontaneous recovery of secretory otitis media. In summer as well as in winter middle ear effusion was found in about 10% of all ears, or in every eighth child. Two thirds of the ears improved spontaneously, one third to complete normalization. Middle ear function, assessed by tympanometry, is extremely labile during the preschool years and must be evaluated from a dynamic point of view. This greatly restricts the predictive value of snapshots, such as screening results. Therefore, pending complementary information from long-term cohort studies, universal impedance screening of all preschool children should not be instituted.