Pressure-equalization (PE) tubes in treatment of otitis media: national survey of otolaryngologists.

This study was designed to describe those indicators for the insertion of pressure-equalization (PE) tubes given highest priority by board-certified otolaryngologists. An original questionnaire was mailed to 1000 board-certified otolaryngologists practicing in the United States. The respondents rated the relative importance of 22 indicators on a 6-point scale. These indicators were grouped into four categories: Medical History, Physical Examination, Audiologic Evaluation, and Related Indicators. With a return rate of 52.7%, approximately 1 of every 9 board-certified, practicing otolaryngologists in the United States was represented in the study. The five indicators with the highest ratings were: "persistence of fluid for 3 or more months per episode," "presence of speech-language delay," "presence of bilateral conductive hearing loss of 20 dB or more," "total number of episodes of otitis media," and "lack of response to suppressive antibiotic therapy." Additional analyses of the data yielded information regarding characteristics of the responding physicians and the self-generated indicators.