Effects of Laser Myringotomy on the Treatment of Otitis Media with Effusion

Background and Objectives：Otitis media with effusion has been known to require long term medical treatment. When medical treatment fails, myringotomy with or without ventilation tube insertion needs to be performed, but the duration of middle ear ventilation with myringotomy is very limited. The insertion of ventilation tubes may also cause some complications, and may require general anesthesia when performing at a young age. The purpose of this report is to see if myringotomy using CO2 laser can be used as an effective tool in the treatment of otitis media with effusion. Materials and Methods：We retrospectively studied 66 ears of patients who went through myringotomy using CO2 laser between March, 1998 and May, 1999. We analyzed myringotomy size, patency time, recurrence and cost effectiveness. Results：The average size of myringotomy was 2.1 mm in diameter. It remained patent for as long as 1.9 weeks in average. All myringotomy sites were healed without persistent perforations. Average recurrence rate and time were 27 % and 3.2months, respectively. The medical treatment is expensive and needs more frequent follow-ups, but laser treatment is cheaper and requires less frequent follow-ups. Conclusions：CO2 laser myringotomy is a safe and cost effective procedure which can be done easily at the office in most of the cases. (Korean J Otolaryngol 2000;43:1295-7)