Efficacy and Safety of Endoscopic Tympanic Membrane Catheterization Plus Ofloxacin Ear Drops in the Treatment of Secretory Otitis Media in Infants and Toddlers

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic tympanic membrane catheterization and ofloxacin ear drops in the treatment of secretory otitis media in infants and toddlers. METHODS: A total of 80 children suffering from secretory otitis media who underwent treatment in our hospital from July 2018 to April 2020 were divided into the control group (n = 40) and experimental group (n = 40) by randomization. The control group was treated with endoscopic tympanic membrane catheterization alone, while the experimental group was treated with ofloxacin ear drops based on the same treatment as the control group. The treatment effect, air conduction hearing level, clearance rate of pathogenic bacteria secreted by the ear canal, recurrence rate, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The treatment in the experimental group led to a significantly better outcome than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, a substantially improved air conduction hearing level in the experimental group was observed (P < 0.001). A chi-square test showed a significantly higher clearance rate of pathogenic bacteria secreted from the ear canal of the children in the experimental group compared to that of the control group (P < 0.05). The treatment in the experimental group resulted in a lower recurrence rate and adverse reaction rate as compared to the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Concurrent endoscopic tympanic membrane catheterization and ofloxacin ear drops showed excellent efficacy in the treatment of secretory otitis media in infants and toddlers. The therapy offers promising solutions for the improvement of hearing level, increase of clearance rate of pathogenic bacteria secreted from the ear canal, and decrease of disease recurrence and adverse reactions during treatment.