Summary: New research finds that implanting ear tubes in children who have chronic ear fluid buildup improves hearing over a short period but has no long-term benefits for hearing, speech, or language in normally developing children.
By Carolyn Buchanan | Posted: January 7, 2014
As a parent it can be so hard to know when to intervene and when to just leave matters alone. Now a new study by the RTI-University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center offers some helpful guidance to parents whose children suffer from that common childhood malady — otitis media with effusion (OME).
OME is a collection of fluid in the middle ear without signs or symptoms of ear infection (also known as acute otitis media or AOM). The chronic ear fluid buildup may have no symptoms at all, or it may cause occasional pain from the pressure changes. Sometimes hearing loss occurs, but it's often fluctuating and hard to detect, even by attentive parents. A child may complain of "plugged up" hearing or engage in loud talking or constantly turn up the volume on the TV or radio.
The concern has been that if OME does cause hearing problems, it could in turn cause speech and/or developmental delays. And because of concern over these long-term effects, many families seek treatment. Surgical treatment. In fact, OME is a primary reason for children to undergo surgery.
In the United States, there are two common surgical treatments for OME. Myringotomy and tube placement is a procedure in which a tiny incision is created in the eardrum, and then a small tube is placed to relieve pressure and fluid build-up. This can be done alone or sometimes is also done with adenoidectomy, where tissue is removed from the back of the throat. About a million families choose ear tubes annually, opting for surgery that carries risks of its own.
This new study, published online in Pediatrics, examined 41 studies and found that tubes and adenoidectomy decreased middle ear effusion and improved hearing up to nine months post surgery, although they carry some risks. Researchers also found evidence that tubes may not make a difference in hearing and functional outcomes over one or two years or longer.
OME is so common in children ages six months to four years, that about 90 percent of children have it at some point. More than 50 percent of children have OME before the age of one, and more than 60 percent by age two. Since the incidence is so high, it may be a good idea to discuss "the wait and see" approach with your healthcare provider. Who knows — your child's OME could already have come and gone, and with luck, you never even knew it!
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