Chronic otitis media with effusion.

Chronic OME, which arises from a complex series of inflammatory events in the middle ear, affects approximately 5% to 30% of children. The mean duration of MEE is 16 to 20 weeks during the first 2 years of life. This condition is diagnosed best with pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry. The risk of chronic OME is increased by environmental factors and characteristics of the child, including disease history. Approximately 70% of MEE are culture-positive, with approximately 50% of these yielding S pneumoniae, H influenzae, or M catarrhalis. However, antibiotic treatment of acute otitis media and OME has only a minimal effect on the long-term resolution of MEE. Research has shown that 70% of children who have chronic OME suffer mild-to-moderate hearing loss, so a child who has bilateral MEE for 3 months should undergo hearing evaluation. If the child has hearing impairment, referral to an otolaryngologist for myringotomy and tympanostomy tube insertion is a treatment option that the AHCPR recommends after 4 months of effusion with hearing loss. Sequelae of chronic OME include deficient expressive language and poorer attention skills due to the temporary hearing loss associated with OME, high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, tympanic membrane atrophy, perforation, retraction, atelectasis, and cholesteatoma.