The relationship between preoperative tympanograms and intraoperative ear examination results in children

The tympanogram is an objective audiological method in adults and children which is often used in the evaluation of middle ear pathology. This should be alongside a thorough patient history and clinical examination prior to the decision to carry out a paracentesis or tympanostomy tube insertion. The goal of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the preoperative tympanogram and intraoperative ear examination results or middle ear findings. The retrospective study included 654 ears in 333 patients who underwent paracentesis with or without tympanostomy tube insertion between January and December 2011. The study cohort consisted of 206 male and 127 female patients with an average age of 3.7 ± 2.5 years. The results of the preoperative tympanogram were compared to those of the intraoperative ear findings. In 18.4 % of ears with a flat tympanogram, an air-filled middle ear was found intraoperatively (p < 0.01). Thus, tympanometry results cannot serve as the only indication for surgical intervention. A decision to treat should always be based on the merits of the symptomatology of the patient in conjunction with tympanometry findings.