ABSTRACT
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is the accumulation of mucus within the middle ear and sometimes the mastoid air cell system. The evidence in favour of a role for gastro-oesophageal reflux in the cause and/or persistence of OME is accumulating, but the relation between cause and effect, if any, is not fully understood. For public health reasons, parental smoking has frequently been reported as a risk factor for the occurrence of OME. In any specific individual, the number of risk factors present can be used as an approximate estimate of the risk of developing the condition. Myringosclerosis the most common structural complication after ventilation tube surgery is myringosclerosis, occurring more often with long-term tubes. Pneumatic otoscopy may be of added value where there is uncertainty, but it is limited in predictive value by the experience of the examiner and the cooperation of the child. Hearing impairment, including that from OME, is likely to impede normal speech and language development.
