[Spontaneous normalisation and frequency of secretory otitis (author's transl)]

In two-year-old children from two communities of Copenhagen five repetitive tympanometries were performed. In winter a prevalence of secretory otitis between 11% and 14% of investigated ears in summer of 7% was found. The results of tympanometry changed very much between the repetitive investigations thus every time 50% of ears changed the tympanogram type. The rate of spontaneous normalisation of secretory otitis was calculated to 75%. The total frequence of secretory otitis is very high and 50% of all ears have during the first three years of life in at least one period had middle ear effusion.