Effect of adenoidectomy on hearing of children with otitis media with effusion.

Adenoid vegetation has been considered to be one of the causes of otitis media with effusion (OME), but our clinical experience and studies by other researchers have revealed that adenoidectomy is not always effective in the treatment of OME. In this study, an attempt was made to assess the effect of adenoidectomy upon hearing. Forty-five children with OME (76 ears) ranging in age from 3 to 9 years were treated by adenoidectomy, insertion of tympanostomy tubes, myringotomy, or a combination of these procedures, and followed for 6 months.Children treated with adenoidectomy and insertion of tympanostomy tubes and children without adenoid hypertrophy treated with insertion of tympanostomy tubes showed marked improvement of hearing, but in children with adenoid hypertrophy treated with either insertion of tympanostomy tubes or adenoidectomy hearing was not improved. The hearing of children with adenoid hypertrophy treated with adenoidectomy and myringotomy grew worse for 2 or 3 months but then improved.This study indicates that children with OME and adenoid hypertrophy should be treated with adenoidectomy as well as insertion of tympanostomy tubes.