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AAP Grand Rounds 4:33 (2000)
© 2000 American Academy of Pediatrics

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Tympanostomy Tubes and Quality of Life

Source: Rosenfeld RM, Bhaya MH, Bower CM, et al. Impact of tympanostomy tubes on child quality of life. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;126:585–592.

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Tympanostomy tubes for otitis media with effusion (OME) provide benefits such as improved hearing and decreased frequency of otitis media (OM).1,2 However, their impact on a child’s quality of life (QOL) has never been systematically evaluated. This prospective, observational trial was performed in 14 referral-based pediatric otolaryngology practices throughout the United States. The study included a convenience sample of 248 patients who underwent tympanostomy tube insertion for recurrent acute otitis media (AOM) (56%) or chronic OME (42%). The median age of participants was 1.4 years, range 6 months to 12 years. Indications for surgery were at the discretion of individual physicians. The subjective impact of OM was determined by repeated administration of the OM-6 survey, a validated measure of QOL which assesses 6 domains: physical suffering, hearing loss, speech impairment, emotional distress, activity limitations, and caregiver concerns. In addition, patient satisfaction was assessed using validated scales to determine . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Jonathan Perkins, DO, FAAP
Otolaryngology, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, WA