Serous Otitis Treatment

This prevents aeration of the middle ear and ear secretions accumulate. Air is absorbed by the tissues, creating negative pressure. As a result, fluid fills in the middle ear due to the withdrawal of fluid from the tissues. This is called ‘serous otitis’. Under the influence of long-term negative pressure, darkening occurs in the mucous secretion. After that, the picture becomes chronic and secretory otitis media occurs. This fluid prevents the eardrum from vibrating properly and thus the child develops hearing loss. Due to this mild hearing loss, some changes are observed in the behavior of the child. If the problem becomes chronic, the child’s speech and mental development may be delayed. The following findings are observed in children with hearing loss:

While watching TV, they turn the volume up too high or they have to sit and watch too close to the TV.
Because they cannot fully hear what is being said, they respond late or become completely uninterested.
They cannot show enough interest while listening to the lesson in the classroom, and their success level in the lessons decreases. Children with poor grades may be associated with middle ear fluid and hearing loss. Necessary tests must be done for him.

Causes of Serous Otitis

Serous otitis usually does not give concrete symptoms. In other words, it does not cause complaints such as pain, vomiting, fever. It is detected during the evaluation of adenoid-related complaints or in the examination performed on suspicion of hearing loss.

There has been thickening and dulling of the eardrum; An increase in vascularization is observed. Depending on the persistence of the problem for a long time, recession in the eardrum, adhesion towards the middle ear structure and dark color changes may also be encountered. Usually both ears are affected by the disease. It may take time to notice hearing loss if serous otitis is unilateral. Since the balance center of these patients is affected, findings such as imbalance, difficulty in walking and doing sportive activities may be encountered. Measurement of middle ear pressure and hearing reflexes helps in the diagnosis of the disease. If the child can adapt, a hearing test can also be applied. He has conductive hearing loss. Sometimes nerve type loss develops due to substances secreted by microorganisms in the middle ear.

Treatment

Medication:

Initially, antibiotic therapy is administered. However, there may be the use of drugs that minimize the swelling of the mucosa and thin the mucus consistency. Anti-allergic treatment should also be applied to patients who are determined to have allergies. Inflating the balloon and chewing gum greatly helps restore the function of the Eustachian duct. 

It is better to keep children, especially those who go to kindergarten, away from such environments for 1 month, with frequent episodes of serous otitis and acute otitis. If the child is bottle-fed, it is recommended to do this in a semi-sitting position.

It should be considered that this disease is common, such as viral infections that increase in autumn and winter, and treatment planning should be adjusted accordingly. The probability of success in the applied medical treatment is higher before the summer period. It is a fact that this rate decreases in the winter period.

If the treatment is continued for 6-8 weeks and there is no positive response, if the hearing loss is higher than 20-25 dB, surgical treatment is applied. If there is pocketing, thinning and collapse of the eardrum, if there is a balance disorder or if the nerve type is lost, direct surgical treatment should be considered.

Surgical treatment:

During this treatment, a ventilation tube is inserted into the eardrum and the hearing loss is healed. In addition, it is possible to remove the adenoids and, if necessary, the tonsils. The ventilation tube is applied under general anesthesia in children. Ventilation tubes can stay in the eardrum for about 1.5 years, and in this process, they are thrown into the external ear canal or fall off on their own. If the child has adapted, it is possible to obtain non-falling ventilation tubes under office conditions without the need for a second surgical intervention.

However, it may also be required to be taken with general sedation. Treatments serve to cure the majority of patients completely. The hole (perforation) of the eardrum sometimes does not close. In this case, patching may be needed. In case of recurrence of serous otitis, tube applications can be repeated or permanent tube application can be used. If serous otitis recurs in a child, the immune system functions and allergy should be evaluated.

Children with a tube in the eardrum can swim in places where the water is clean. But the dive should not exceed 1 meter. Before taking a shower with soapy water or entering swimming pools, the external ear canal should be covered with an ear plug or a cotton swab. Thus, water will not be able to pass from the tube to the middle ear.

Since 2005, I have applied T-tube to 7 patients and grommet tube to approximately 120 patients in Çorlu. gr