Evaluation of Children Quality of Life after Serous Otitis Media Surgery

Introduction: Otitis media with effusion is a common childhood disease diagnosed with the accumulation of serous fluid or mucous in the middle ear. If not treated, the sustainable effusion leads to change and destruction of middle ear structures. One of the most successful treatment methods is myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion, which leads to improvement of patients' quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate children’s quality of life after inserting ventilation tubes. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study examined the quality of life of the children suffering from otitis media with sustainable effusion, who were candidates for ventilation tube insertion. Otitis Media outcome-22 (OMO -22) questionnaire, was used to record the patients’ problems in a 12-week period before and after surgery. Results: In this study, 70 patients, including 43 (61.4%) boys and 27 (38.6%) girls (1y-13y), who completed the questionnaire, were studied. Treatment with ventilation tubes improved many physical symptoms of the hearing loss along with speech and behavioral symptoms. A significant reduction was observed in the number of physician visits and the use of antibiotics for ear problems. Conclusion: Ventilation tube insertion not only reduced the symptoms of otitis media with effusion, but also improved the children’s quality of life.