Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Feb 18;20(1):76.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-020-1977-6.

Association of tympanostomy tubes with future assistive hearing devices-a population based study

Jason A Beyea  1   2 , Bonnie Cooke  3 , Emily Rosen  3 , Paul Nguyen  4
Affiliations

Association of tympanostomy tubes with future assistive hearing devices-a population based study

Jason A Beyea et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Ear (tympanostomy) tube (TT) placement is a common ambulatory surgery in children. Despite the commonality of this treatment, the long-term effects are unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the rate of permanent hearing loss, as measured by use of a rehabilitative hearing device.

Methods: A retrospective comprehensive population-based cohort study was performed, evaluating all hospitals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Three cohorts of children were constructed: TT - at least one ear tube procedure (n = 193,880), No-TT -recurrent visits to a physician for middle ear disease, did not undergo ear tubes (n = 203,283), and Control - an age/sex matched group who had not undergone ear tubes and who didn't have repeat physician visits for middle ear disease (n = 961,168). The main outcome measures were risk and odds ratio (OR) of rehabilitative hearing devices.

Results: The TT cohort had a higher risk of obtaining a hearing aid (OR 4.53 vs. No-TT, p < 0.001; OR 10.81 vs. Control, p < 0.001), an FM system (OR 3.84 vs. No-TT, p < 0.001; OR 15.13 vs. Control, p < 0.001), and an implanted bone conduction device (OR 5.08 vs. No-TT, p < 0.001; OR 15.67 vs. Control, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: An association between ear tube placement and long-term need for a rehabilitative hearing device was found. This association warrants future prospective research in this area.

Keywords: Ear surgery; Hearing aids; Hearing loss; Implantable hearing devices; Otitis media; Outcomes; Tympanostomy tubes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Time (years) (Mean ± SD) from index date to first FM system or hearing aid in the three cohorts. Time was created for cohort patients whose index date was after April 1, 1999 due to data limitations in the ADP database
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Time (years) (Mean ± SD) from index date to first implanted hearing device (bone-conducting hearing aid) in the three cohorts
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cullen KA, Hall MJ, Golosinskiy A. Ambulatory surgery in the United States, 2006. Natl Health Stat Report. 2009;11:1–25. - PubMed
    1. Nieman CL, Tunkel DE, Boss EF. Do race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status affect why we place ear tubes in children? Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2016;88:98–103. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2016.06.029. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vlastarakos PV, Nikolopoulos TP, Korres S, Tavoulari E, Tzagaroulakis A, Ferekidis E. Grommets in otitis media with effusion: the most frequent operation in children. But is it associated with significant complications? Eur J Pediatr. 2007;166:385–391. doi: 10.1007/s00431-006-0367-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pichichero ME, Berghash LR, Hengerer AS. Anatomic and audiologic sequelae after tympanostomy tube insertion or prolonged antibiotic therapy for otitis media. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1989;8:780–787. doi: 10.1097/00006454-198911000-00010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stenstrom R, Pless IB, Bernard P. Hearing thresholds and tympanic membrane sequelae in children managed medically or surgically for otitis media with effusion. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005;159:1151–1156. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.159.12.1151. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types