Abstract
Otitis media with effusion (OME) in children is a disease which usually subsides spontaneously, but in some cases it becomes refractory.
In this study, we followed patients aged 8 to 29 years, when the incidence of OME is low, to find the factors which prevent recovery. Our follow-up shows that in 47% of those cases which proved to be refractory in spite of the insertion of ventilation tubes, the passive opening pressure of the Eustachian tube was higher than normal, and the tubal ventilatory function was greatly disturbed. In these patients with refractory OME, extreme retraction of the eardrums and poor aeration of the mastoids were found, suggesting the existence of some organic abnormalities of the Eustachian tube.
