Analysis of Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty(BET)in the treatment of recurrent otitis media with effusion in children

ZHANG Xuexi; CHEN Min; LIU Wei; HAO Jinsheng; YANG Yang; NI Xin; ZHANG Jie

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1672-2922.2016.05.002

Abstract：Objective To evaluate the ef fi cacy of Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty (BET) in the treatment of recur-rent otitis media with effusion in children by subjective and objective measures. Methods Eighteen patients who under-went BET were included. Inclusion criteria were:one or more adenoidectomy with grommet insertion, three or more epi-sodes of acute otitis media in the past year, failing three months of conservative therapy with persistent hydrotympanum, and no surgical contraindication. Pre- and postoperative Eustachian Tube Score (ETS) , pure-tone audiometry (PTA), CT scan and endoscopy data were collected for further evaluation and analysis. Results BET was successful in 18 cases (28 ears) but failed in 2 cases (2 ears). Simultaneous grommet insertion was completed in 13 cases. Pre-and post-treatment PTA were 31.04±10.03 and 20.95±12.80 dB HL, respectively (P<0.001). ETS was 2.04±2.65 before treatment, 5.33±3.90 within 6 months post-treatment and 6.71 ± 3.45 past 6 months post-treatment (P<0.05). Subjective symptoms improved within 6 months following treatment, while objective measurement improvement continued more than 6 months after treatment. ETS in those who underwent repeated grommet insertions was 1.455 ± 1.969 before treatment and 4.727 ± 3.869 after treatment. Tympanum perforation was seen in 1 case. There were no complications such as hemorrhage or adhesion. Conclusions BET can provide benefits to children who are diagnosed with recurrent otittis media with effusion and refractory to medical management. Recurrent otittis media with effusion in children is an optimal indication for BET.