Otitis Media with Effusion in Children: A Follow up Study in West Baghdad, Iraq

Objective: To study the clinical, audiological and radiological characteristics as well as treatment outcome of children less than 12 years old suffered from Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) from West Baghdad, Iraq. Materials and Methods: This is a follow up study performed upon 180 child under 12 years old, diagnosed having OME by clinical, audiological and radiological means, they were treated in Al-Ramadi and Al-Fallujah General Hospitals drained from West Baghdad and Al-Anbar Governorate, during the period from May 2010 to July 2012. The data obtained from the parents, clinical examination and investigations like Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA), tympanometry and lateral soft tissue x-ray of the neck had been done. The treatment outcome studied after follow up for six months. Results: There were 54.4% boys and 45.6% girls. The main presenting symptom was hearing impairment (brought by family) (47.2%) and the main presenting sign was retraction of tympanic membrane (91.7%), the mean amount of hearing loss by PTA was 22.6 ± 5.5 dB. In 92.2% of patients tympanometry was type B. The size of the adenoid measured by Adenoid\Nasopharyngeal ratio was located mainly on Grade 3+ (43.3%). All the patients were given medical treatment, 61.1% of them responded. Patients that failed to response to medical treatment underwent different modalities of surgical means represented mainly by myringotomy and adenotonsillectomy. Conclusion: There was significant correlation between the size of adenoid and the type of tympanogram and hearing threshold. The treatment was mainly medical, while surgical means if indicated they were myringotomy accompanied mainly with adenotonsillectomy.