Evaluation of myringotomy in the treatment of acute otitis media with effusion in infants and children.

In January 1990, the clinical features of acute otitis media (AOM) were retrospectively evaluated in 94 infants and children. These cases with AOM were treated with myringotomy under an operative microscope at their initial visit to our hospital during the five-month period from January to May of 1989. These results were as follows; 1) AOM in infants and children should be called "acute otitis media with effusion", because AOM can occur at the same phase as otitis media with effusion (OME) and OME can occur after AOM, both otitis media have the continuum of the pathological condition in the middle ear. 2) For the treatment of recurrent "acute otitis media with effusion", myringotomy as well as reasonable chemotherapy should be performed even with the recent advent of the newer antibiotics. 3) We suggest that the number of chronic otitis media will be reduced at some future time, if all of "acute otitis media with effusion" can be appropriately treated.