We conducted a randomized, controlled clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of treatment of persistent middle ear effusion (MEE) and associated hearing loss with a modified Politzer device used in the home setting over a 7-week perio d. Effi cacy was determined by comparing preand posttherapy air-conduction thresholds, tympanometric peak pressures, and otoscop ic find ings. The study group was made up of94 children (1 74 ears), aged 4 to 11 years, who had at least a 2-month history of MEE and assoc iated hearing loss.At study send,patients in the treatment group expe rienced statistically sign ificant improvements in all measured outcomes; no significant improvements were seen in the control group in all measured outcomes. At study 's end, the hearing sensitivity of73 .9% ofthe treated ears was within normal limits, compared with only 26. 7% ofthe control ears. Thesefindings demonstrate that home treatm ent ofchildren with persistent MEE and associated hearing loss with the modified Politzer device is highly efficacious.

In thisprospectivefollow-up investigation, we examinedthe efficacy ofa modified Politzer device in the home treatment of persistent middle ear effusion (MEE) and associated hearing loss in children who had previously participated in a similar clinical trial. Our study group was made up of 38 patients who had been either (I) untreated control participants in the previous study whose hearing in one or both ears had not returned to normal within II weeks of their initial audiolo gic pretest (''former control group "; n = 30), or (2) active-treatment participants in the previous study whose hearing sensitivity in at least one ear had not improved to within normal limits after treatment and who elected to undergo a continuation of treatment ("extended-treatment group "; n = 8). Treatment efficacy was determined by comparing differences in pre-and posttreatment air-conduction thresholds and otoscopic findings. Following treatment, the former control group experienced significant improvements in hearing sensitivity at all frequ encies; at the posttreatment test, hearing sensitivity was within normal limits in 43 of60 ears (71.7%), and normal or moderate tympanic membrane mobility was observed in 30 of34 otoscopically examined ears (88.2%). In the extended-treatment group, hearing sensitivity re

This study evaluated the efficacy of politzerization with an automated, hand-held device that controls volume velocity (airflow) in the treatment of 20 children with otitis media with effusion. Thesepatients underwent politzerization twice a week for up to 6 weeks. Another 20 children with otitis media with effusion who were not treated with politzerization served as controls. Following treatment, resolution of the average air-bone gap to within normal limits was achieved in 70% of the treated group and 20% ofthe controls, which eliminated the need for grommet insertion in these patients. Improvement in tympanometric peak pressure was also significantly greater in the treated group. Politzerization was efficiently and successfully performed in all patients. The automated device's ease ofadministration and its ability to control airflow suggests that it has the potential to be an effective home treatment that can be administered by the parents or guardians of children who have otitis media with effusion .

This study evaluates the efficacy of politzeration on eustachian tube dysfunction following airplane travel using an automated, hand-held device that controls the volume velocity of air flow. Fourteen adults with eustachian tube dysfunction following airplane travel comprised the experimental group. They received politzeration over a period of 6 weeks on a twice-a-week basis. Fourteen adults with eustachian tube dysfunction following airplane travel comprised the control group. They were untreated. Complete audiologic and otolaryngologic evaluations were performed at the pretest and after politzeration treatment was completed. The results revealed a substantial, significant improvement in the mean tympanometric peak pressure from pretest to final post-treatment retest in the experimental, but not the control, subjects. The mean air-bone gap increased significantly from pretest to final post-treatment retest in the control, but not the experimental, subjects. Of the experimental subjects with abnormal tympanometric peak pressures at the pretest, resolution to within normal limits occurred in 71 percent of the experimental subjects versus 21 percent of the control subjects. These results suggest the potential feasibility of treatment of aerotitis media in adults with this modified Politzer method using the automated apparatus. Abbreviations: ABG = air-bone gap, TPP = tympanometric peak pressure

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