Myringostomy for middle ear effusions. Results of a two-year study.

From 1972 to 1974, 736 children had tympanostomy tubes inserted for chronic serous otitis media resistant to medical therapy. The total number of ears involved was 2,237. The cleft palate patients constituted 8.8% of the total and had 15.4% of all procedures. Patients with allergy comprised 19% of the total population and had a higher incidence of otitis media following tube insertion. Adenoidectomy was performed in 44% of all patients and 35% of these required further tube insertions, suggesting that adenoidectomy in combination with tube insertion is not necessarily the primary treatment of choice. Children under six made up 78.5% of the total. The most common complication, a draining ear with an incidence of 15.1% was treated successfully with aqueous Merthiolate irrigations. There were 14 tympanic membrane perforations.