Adenoidal hypertrophy and secretory otitis media in children

Objective To study the prevalence of secretory otitis media in children with adenoidal hypertrophy and influencing factors.Methods Clinical history,x-ray images of the nasopharynx and acoustic immitance data were collected in 258 cases of pediatric adenoidal hypertrophy admitted for surgical treatment.Video nasal endoscopy was performed in 68 cases for direct examination of the adenoid.The prevalence of secretory otitis media was determined and potential influencing factors analyzed using multivariate regression.Results Secretory otitis media was confirmed in 108 cases(41.9%) by acoustic immitance tests,although only 27(10.5%) cases had audiologic complaints.Gender,disease duration and tonsillar hypertrophy showed no effect on the prevalence.The probability of otitis media appeared to be higher in younger children,with more severe adenoidal hypertrophy and closer proximity to the Eustachian tube.Conclusion Audiological examination in children with adenoidal hypertrophy is crucial in identifying secretory otitis media.Factors that may increase the chance of secretory otitis media include young age,severe adenoidal hypertrophy and close spatial relationship between the adenoid and Eustachian tube.