What is Exudative Otitis, its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

One of the most widespread childhood diseases is exudative otitis, also called otitis "sticky" ear or secretory otitis media. Most often this disease affects children at the age of two years, and after six years the incidence of exudative otitis media gradually decreases.

In the vast majority of cases, exudative otitis in children is a secondary disease, formed against the background of a violation of the functions of the so-called auditory tube, which occurs in diseases of the paranasal sinuses, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, etc. Such violations include sinusitis, adenoiditis, allergic rhinitis. Therefore, in the first place, it is necessary to conduct medical measures aimed at eliminating the "primary" disease.

With exudative otitis media accumulates in the middle ear , which is constantly produced, and with normal patency of the auditory tube, is evacuated in a timely manner. Over time, this accumulated fluid thickens and turns into slime, which can easily be absorbed. Common causes provoking the emergence of exudative otitis are: a decrease in immune reactivity, diseases that reduce immunity, allergies, frequent infectious diseases, environmental factors. The main local cause of this disease is a functional or mechanical violation of the ventilation function of the auditory tube. In most cases, this occurs as a result of a slow inflammatory or allergic process in the pharyngeal tonsil or its hypertrophy.

In children, the clinical symptoms that characterize exudative otitis media are very few. In fact, the only symptom is hearing loss, less often itching in the ear, but in view of the fact that children of two to five years do not usually complain about hearing loss, especially if the process of unilateral, exudative otitis often becomes not a very pleasant random finding. If this disease is not treated, then it can develop a sufficiently persistent, and sometimes irreversible, hearing loss due to the atrophy of the tympanic membrane or the appearance of perforations and pockets in it.

Diagnosis of exudative otitis media.

When diagnosing this disease, information about early acute ear diseases, their peculiarities, course and treatment is extremely important. Clearly enough data is obtained with otoscopy. Sometimes the eardrum acquires a cyanotic shade, looks as though slightly bulging, cloudy and thickened. Also of great importance are tubosonometry, the definition of the mobility of the tympanic membrane, the study of the ventilating capacity of the auditory tube. The decisive word in the diagnosis of exudative otitis belongs to the examination of the auditory function of the ear. Hearing loss is usually sound-conducting, moderate, is 35-40 dB, but sometimes there is a complete loss of hearing, associated with a decrease in bone conduction. In some cases, the hearing loss is fluctuating, not constant.

Recently, a direct study of the nasopharynx with an endoscope has been quite active in otorhinolaryngology. The use of soft endoscopes allows a detailed study of the mouth of the auditory tubes, while clarifying the nature and cause of obstruction.

Exudative otitis media. Treatment.

If there are such causes of obstruction, like choanal polyps, adenoids, hypertrophy of the ends of nasal conchae and tubal tonsils, they are eliminated in the first place. Then the sanation of the paranasal sinuses is performed.

The next step is to restore the patency of the auditory tube, which uses electrophoresis, electrostimulation of the muscles of the soft palate, magnetotherapy, ultrasound, laser therapy. Among surgical methods for the treatment of exudative otitis, myringotomy and tympanopuncture are used.