Preoperative Tympanometry and the Presence of Middle Ear Effusion at the Time of Tympanostomy Tube Placement
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between preoperative tympanometry and intraoperative middle ear effusion in children undergoing tympanostomy tube placement. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of children undergoing tympanostomy tube placement at a tertiary academic medical center from January to April 2021. Preoperative tympanometry was categorized as Type A, B, or C per Jerger classification. The primary outcome was middle ear effusion visualized at myringotomy. Secondary outcomes included effusion resolution among Type B ears and effusion development among Type A and C ears. Risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using modified Poisson regression fit via generalized estimating equations, clustered by patient, with robust standard errors. Results: = 0.002) compared with Type A. Among Type A and C ears, 51.2% had effusion at surgery. Differences in effusion rates across tympanogram types were no longer significant at intervals greater than 60 days. Type A ears were more commonly from children with recurrent AOM, among whom 41.2% had effusion intraoperatively. Conclusions: Tympanogram type predicted intraoperative effusion probability, though nearly half of Type A ears had effusion confirmed at surgery. The predictive value of tympanogram type diminished at intervals greater than 60 days between assessment and surgery, suggesting tympanometry is most informative when surgery follows promptly after evaluation. Level of Evidence: 4.
DOI: 10.1002/lio2.70624
Language: English
Topic: Ear Surgery and Otitis Media
Subfield: Otorhinolaryngology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
OpenAlex ID: W7225453331