Cleft Research
Posted on April 22nd, 2008
Otitis media with effusion
Sequelae of otitis media with effusion among children with cleft lip and/or cleft palate
P. Sheahan, A.W. Blayney, J.N. Sheahan & M.J. Earley1
About: Results of a study carried out at The Children’s Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin, examining the outcome of treatment of otitis media with effusion in children with cleft palate. Accepted for publication 30 May 2002.
[Original Abstract]
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is common among children with cleft palate, and may lead to such long-term consequences as hearing loss, tympanic memberane retraction, and chronic otitis media (COM). In total, 104 children with cleft lip and/or palate treated for OME at our institution* were reiewed. Mean duration of follow-up was 6.9 years, and mean age at latest follow-up was 9.6 years. The incidence of COM was 19% and the incidence of cholesteatome was 1.9%. Ears showing such long term sequelae of OME as hearing loss, tympanic membrane retraction, and chronic otitis media, were noted to have undergone a significantly greater number of ventilation tube insertions than ears not showing these sequelae. Our findings would suggest that a conservative approach to the management of OME in children with cleft palate is more likely to be beneficial in the long term.
[Article Conclusion]
Otitis media with effusion is common in young children with cleft palate, however, as children get older, their otological status frequently improves. A higher incidence of tympanic membrane retraction, chronic otitis media , and hearing loss may be expected in ears treated with a greater number of ventilation tube insertions among children with cleft palate. However, a conservative approach to the treatment of otitis media with effusion in children is safe and without adverse long-term effects. Furthermore, aural rehabilitation in the form of hearing aids provides a feasible alternative to surgery. Our data would support a conservative approach to the treatment of OME in children with cleft palate. ventilation tubes should only be inserted when there is objective evidence of hearing loss, and of persistence of the effusion for more than three months, and only after the reasons for surgery and the non-surgical alternatives have been discussed with the child’s parents.
*The Children’s Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin, Ireland
- P. Sheahan, A.W. Blayney, J.N. Sheahan & M.J. Earley (2002). Sequelae of otitis media with effusion among children with cleft lip and/or cleft palate. Clinical Otolaryngology & Allied Sciences 27(6) 494-500, December 2002 [↩]
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