THE PRESENCE OF ADENOID VEGETATIONS AND NASAL SPEECH, AND HEARING LOSS IN RELATION TO SECRETORY OTITIS MEDIA

Abstract

This study presents the treatment of 68 children with secretory otitis media. Children underwent adenoid vegetations, nasal speech, conductive hearing loss, ventilation disturbance in Eustachian tube. In all children adenoidectomy was indicated.
38 boys and 30 girls at the age of 3-17 were divided in two main groups:

• 29 children without hypertrophic (enlarged) adenoids,
• 39 children with enlarged (hypertrophic) adenoids.

The surgical treatment included insertion of ventilation tubes and adenoidectomy where there where hypertrophic adenoids.
Clinical material was analyzed according to hearing threshold, hearing level, middle ear condition estimated by pure tone audiometry and tympanometry before and after treatment. Data concerning both groups were compared.
The results indicated that adenoidectomy combined with the ventilation tubes facilitates secretory otitis media heeling as well as decrease of hearing impairments. That enables prompt restoration of the hearing function as an important precondition for development of the language, social, emotional and academic development of children.