Radioisotopic measurement of tympanotubal mucociliary clearance in otitis media with effusion.

In an attempt to analyze the tympanotubal mucociliary function in otitis media with effusion (OME), human serum albumin labeled with technetium 99m was instilled into 52 ears of 34 children: 36 ears with effusion and 16 without. The radioactivity in the tympanum was analyzed quantitatively. The time until the onset of clearance and the mucociliary transport rate of the eustachian tube were determined. The tympanotubal clearance rate was significantly lower in the ears with than in those without effusion. The ears with effusion took significantly longer to start clearing than those without. There was no difference in the mucociliary transport rate of the eustachian tubes in the two groups. It is concluded that the mucociliary function of the tympanotubal system is impaired to various degrees in chronic OME, and that it is more severely damaged in the tympanum than in the eustachian tube.