Long-term Outcome of the Management of Otitis Media with Effusion in Children with and Without Cleft Palate Using the House-brand Polyethylene Ventilation Tube Insertion

Abstract

Objective: To study the long-term outcome of otitis media with effusion in children with and without cleft palate treated with the same protocol of ventilation tube insertion. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in eighty-five children with cleft palate and 80 children without cleft palate who had otitis media with effusion and had follow-up between 2001 and 2019. Both groups were treated with ventilation tube insertion for longstanding middle ear effusion more than 90 days. The main outcome was the cumulative incidence of surgical management, time of the indwelling ventilation tubes, conditions of the tympanic membrane, and the hearing outcome. Results: At 24 months old, 63.5% of children with cleft palate and 11.3% of children without cleft palate had their first ventilation tube insertion. Repeated surgery was done in 81.2% of children with cleft palate and 50% of children without cleft palate (p < 0.001). The median duration of the indwelling tube was 11.3 months in the children with cleft palate and 12.4 months in the non-cleft children (p = 0.82). At the end of the study, 63.7% of children without cleft palate and 43.5% of children with cleft palate had normal tympanic membrane (p = 0.009). The hearing outcomes of children with and without cleft palate were 20.7 dB and 19.3 dB, respectively. Conclusion: Children with and without cleft palate were managed under the same guideline and the hearing outcome was favorable in both groups.

The Prevalence of Cleft Lip and Palate and Their Effect on Growth and Development: A Narrative Review

“…This will lead to speech problems in the case of large defects. 7,8 Certainly, patients with any type of cleft require critical care from birth until the adult stage. 9 This necessitates an understanding of the etiology, manifestations, associated issues, and possible complications that accompany this malformation, in order to provide acceptable treatment that will help restore the optimal function and aesthetics for these patients.…”

Simulated Surgical Model Design for Myringotomy and Tympanostomy Tube Insertion in Children using Medical Image Processing and 3D-Printing Technologies

“…The mean age at first myringotomy in children with cleft palate was 1.3 years old, which required precision surgical techniques for operation. 6 The complication from myringotomy and tympanostomy tube insertion can also develop to granular myringitis in the patient with a history of other ear diseases. Having the ability to better operations can reduce the risk factors for the development of complications after surgery.…”