Abstract
The frequency and efficacy of myringotomy for acute otitis media in children performed at our hospital following the “Medical Treatment Guidelines for Acute Otitis Media in Children” were investigated, and the following findings were obtained.
1) The frequency of myringotomy increased as the severity of acute otitis media increased, and myringotomy was performed in nearly 80% of severe cases. It was performed in all cases with a severity score of 19 points or higher or a clinical symptom score of 8 points, and more than 80% of cases with an eardrum score of 10 or greater.
2) In severe cases, as defined by the severity evaluation, the disease was ameliorated significantly earlier after myringotomy than without it in cases with an ear pain score of 2 and fever scores of 1and 2 on clinical symptom evaluation, a flare score of 2 and a bulge score of 4 and 8 on ear drum evaluation, and an otorrhea score of 0.
3) Early in the 10-day follow-up, the overall improvement rate was significantly higher after myringotomy than in non-myringotomy cases, but the difference was not significant in the final outcome.
4) Recurrence was noted in about 10% of cases judged moderate on severity grading with and without myringotomy, showing no significant difference. However, recurrence rates in severe cases were about 10% and 38% in cases with and without myringotomy, respectively, showing a significantly lower rate in myringotomy cases.
