Five-year results for use of single-flanged tympanostomy tubes in children

• Published in: Journal of laryngology and otology Vol. 122; no. 6; pp. 584 - 589
• Main Authors: Knutsson, J, von Unge, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.06.2008
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age; Antibiotics; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Complications; Device Removal - statistics & numerical data; Ear diseases; Ear, auditive nerve, cochleovestibular tract, facial nerve: diseases, semeiology; Eardrum; Ent and stomatologic bacterial diseases; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Immune system; Infant; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical records; Medical sciences; MEDICIN; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; MEDICINE; Middle Ear Ventilation; Middle Ear Ventilation - adverse effects; Middle Ear Ventilation - instrumentation; Non tumoral diseases; Otitis Media - surgery; Otitis Media With Effusion; Otitis Media with Effusion - surgery; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Pathology; Patients; Recurrence; Retrospective Studies; Surgery; Treatment Outcome; Tympanic Membrane Perforation; Tympanic Membrane Perforation - etiology; Ventilation; Otitis Media With Effusion; Complications; Middle Ear Ventilation; Tympanic Membrane Perforation; Human; Tympanum; Tube; Effusion; Middle ear disease; Use; ENT; Tympanum perforation; Tympanotomy; Treatment; Surgery; ENT disease; Complication; Otitis media; Ventilation; Middle ear; Child
• ISSN: 0022-2151; 1748-5460; 1748-5460; 1748-5640
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022215107009942

To assess the five-year outcome of the use of single-flanged tympanostomy tubes in children, including the time to extrusion, rate of retained tubes and rate of persistent perforation. The medical records relating to 640 single-flanged tympanostomy tubes intended for short-term use in paediatric patients were retrospectively reviewed. We found that 36.4 per cent of the tubes had extruded within 12 months and 71.0 per cent within 24 months. Results showed that 14.1 per cent of the tubes had been removed because of prolonged retention, with a mean time to removal of 38.9 months. The time to extrusion was longer and the rate of retained tubes was higher than those reported for several other short-term tubes. We found that 4.5 per cent of tube insertions had resulted in a persistent perforation, a higher percentage than previously reported for other tubes intended for short-term use. Within five years of tube insertion, 70.5 per cent of the tympanic membranes had normalised.