Study of the Relationship between Adenoidal Hypertrophy and Secretory Otitis Media

Objective: The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between adenoid hypertrophy and the occurrence and prognosis of secretory otitis media in children and to guide the clinical doctors on the early diagnosis and treatment of secretory otitis media. Methods: To obtain a collection of appropriate medical histories, nasopharyngeal lateral slice endoscopy, acoustic immittance and pure tone hearing threshold tests were performed routinely on 239 hospitalized children whose adenoid bodies were resected prior to surgery. Those who had ear symptoms or presented with a C type curve in acoustic immittance testing were suspected to have a middle ear effusion, and underwent further exmaination through a temporal bone CT or a tympanic cavity puncture examination during the operation. Through the use of statistical software we analyzed the relationship between secretory otitis media, the degree of adenoid hypertrophy and the condition of Eustachian tube Results: Among 239 children with adenoid hypertrophy, 34 children(14.2%) were complicated with secretory otitis media confirmed by tympanic cavity puncture in which 33 ears(52.4%) were type B, 10 ears(15.9%) were type C(- 200 dapa), 20 ears(31.7%) were C(- 200dapa). The results demonstrated that the occurrence of secretory otitis media was positively associated with the degree of adenoid hypertrophy and compression of the Eustachian tube. Conclusion: Acoustic immittance cannot be used as the gold standard of the diagnosis of secretory otitis media. Temporal bone CT is necessary for patients who have ear symptoms or present with a C type curve in acoustic immittance or have a suspected middle ear effusion in order to ensure diagnosis. For children with adenoid hypertrophy, endoscopic adenoidectomy is the main therapy with high rates of resolution given adjunctive tympanic cavity puncture. In cases of recurrent secretory otitis media, tympanic cavity catheterisation can be used to reduce the risk of postoperative complications.