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The Effect of Ventilating Tubes in Young Children with Recurrent Acute Otitis Media: an Update of the Literature

  • Pediatrics: Otitis Media in Children (A Hermansson, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Ventilating tube treatment (VT) is a common surgical procedure in preschool children. Twenty to fifty percent of children treated with VT suffer from recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM). The aim of this review is to update current knowledge on the topic.

Recent Findings

There is still controversy regarding the use of VT for children with RAOM. So far, only six randomized trials have been published. From the limited data pool, it seems that children with RAOM treated with VT experienced less time with acute otitis media and experienced less recurrence compared to controls. However, no difference in quality of life was found between subgroups in one trial.

Summary

Children with RAOM seem to benefit from VT on objective parameters, especially if middle ear effusion is present in between acute episodes. There is a need for more high quality evidence on the subjective domains such as disease severity and quality of life.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of ENT - Head and Neck Surgery, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

    C. H. Heidemann

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Vejle Hospital, Vejle, Denmark

    C. H. Heidemann

  3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Zealand University Hospital, Køge, Denmark

    P. Homøe

  4. Research Unit for General Practice, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    J. Lous

Authors
  1. C. H. Heidemann
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  2. P. Homøe
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  3. J. Lous
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. H. Heidemann.

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Conflict of Interest

Christian Heidemann, Preben Homøe, and Jørgen Lous declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pediatrics: Otitis Media in Children

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Heidemann, C.H., Homøe, P. & Lous, J. The Effect of Ventilating Tubes in Young Children with Recurrent Acute Otitis Media: an Update of the Literature. Curr Otorhinolaryngol Rep 5, 108–114 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40136-017-0150-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40136-017-0150-8

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