Evaluation of tympanometry in diagnosis and treatment of otitis media of the newborn and of the infant.

The authors report tympanometric findings in normal newborns and infants (W-shaped, large smooth-notched curves), comparing them with those obtained in 34 ears of infants aged 5-120 days with middle ear pathology. In most cases a large smooth-notched curve was found, both in cases of serous otitis or purulent otitis. The W-shaped curve was present only in the case of normal middle ear condition. The large smooth-notched curve, however, may be representative of a normal or a pathological condition. For this reason tympanometry is not always a useful clinical tool to differentiate normal from pathological conditions of the middle ear up to the fourth month of life.