Semipermeable membrane tubes: a prospective study.

Four years ago, we introduced the use of Castelli membrane tubes into our practice. Although initial reports in the literature and restrictions on indications from the manufacturer on use were extremely cautionary, we were able, by careful intraoperative technique and the use of postoperative antibiotics, to expand the use of the membrane tube and offer it to our entire patient population. To document this, we used a prospective study of 124 consecutive ears receiving a membrane tube. Follow-up study included clinical, audiometric, and tympanometric evaluation. We found the membrane tube to function extremely well in an extremely high percentage of ears, regardless of whether the ear contains serous or mucoid fluid. The advantages of membrane tubes include the lack of special care required, resultant high patient and parental acceptance, and the low incidence of draining ears with tubes in place.