Middle Ear Effusions: Definitions and Terminology

1976 ◽  
Vol 85 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 8-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael M. Paparella
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Serous Fluid ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Glue Ear ◽  
Serous Otitis Media ◽  
Purulent Fluid ◽  
Clinical Problems ◽  
Ear Effusion

There are many confusing terms which presently apply to the group of clinical problems accompanied by middle ear effusion manifestations. Out of this chaos there is a need for logic and simplicity. All of the middle ear effusions are examples of the broadly descriptive categorical term “otitis media” meaning “inflammation” of the middle ear which includes examples of frank “infection” as well. Based upon clinical and laboratory observations there are essentially four types of intrinsically occurring middle ear fluid which, along with clinical findings, provide the means of identifying the clinically descriptive term which should be used: 1) serous fluid (serous otitis media); 2) mucoid fluid (mucoid otitis media, secretory otitis media, glue ear); 3) bloody fluid (barotrauma, aerotitis); 4) purulent fluid (purulent or suppurative otitis media); and 5) any combination of the above four ( e.g., seropurulent otitis media, serosanguineous otitis media, mucopurulent otitis media, etc.).

scholarly journals The management of acute otitis media

1984 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 53-54
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Otitis Media ◽  
Clinical Examination ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Infectious Complications ◽  
Middle Ear Effusion ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Painful Condition ◽  
Ear Effusion

Acute suppurative otitis media (AOM) is a common, painful condition affecting 20% of children under 4 years at least once a year,1 and perhaps more in infancy when clinical examination is most difficult. Infectious complications such as mastoiditis, meningitis and cerebral abscess are now rare, but chronic middle ear effusion and hearing loss remain common. Hearing loss may persist long after the infective episode,2 and may impair learning.

Acute Suppurative Otitis Media

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-294
Author(s):  
D. Stewart Rowe
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Polymorphonuclear Cells ◽  
Secretory Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear Mucosa ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear Fluid ◽  
Purulent Fluid

Most pediatricians recognize and treat acute otitis media several times each day. Yet there is wide disagreement about certain aspects of its diagnosis and treatment, despite a large and growing literature on the subject. This review attempts to summarize what is known about acute otitis media in children. DEFINITION Acute suppurative otitis media is distinguished from secretory (serous) otitis media by the presence of purulent fluid in the middle ear. Pathogenic bacteria may be cultured from the majority of needle aspirates of this purulent fluid. In secretory otitis media, relatively few polymorphonuclear cells are present in the middle ear fluid, which is either thin and straw-colored (serous) or thick and translucent grey (mucoid). The fluid has the chemical characteristics either of a transudate of plasma or of a mucoid secretion, presumably produced by goblet cells and mucous glands which are greatly increased in the middle ear mucosa of patients with secretory otitis media. Cultures of this middle ear fluid are usually negative for pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Suppurative otitis media can be diagnosed positively only by aspiration of purulent fluid from the middle ear, but this procedure is rarely necessary for initial diagnosis and management. Clinical findings helpful in distinguishing suppurative from secretory otitis media are discussed below. INCIDENCE In a study of 847 British children during the first five years of life, 19% had at least one episode of otitis media; one third of these had more than one episode. This was considered to be a minimal estimate in these children, since otorrhea was the chief criterion for diagnosis.

Pathogenesis of Otitis Media

1977 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Juhn ◽  
Michael M. Paparella ◽  
Marcos V. Goycoolea ◽  
C. S. Kim ◽  
Scott Giebink
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Lactic Dehydrogenase ◽  
Tube Placement ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Serous Otitis Media ◽  
The Continuum

Pathogenesis of otitis media was studied in humans and various animal models primarily from a pathological and chemical point of view. Findings were correlated and interpreted for various forms of otitis media in longitudinal and parallel studies, including acute purulent otitis media (POM), serous otitis media (SOM), mucoid or secretory otitis media (MOM), and chronic suppurative otitis media (COM), especially as regards the continuum or interrelated changes of various groups. Purulent otitis media was produced in chinchillas by direct inoculation of less than 100 pneumococci into the middle ear space. Serous otitis media was produced in chinchillas and cats following Eustachian tube obstruction with silicone. Mucoid otitis media followed the development of SOM in cats after two to four weeks of tubal occlusion. Samples of middle ear effusion (MEE) and serum, obtained from children with SOM and MOM after myringotomy for ventilation tube placement, were evaluated. The three components studied were MEE, epithelium and the subepithelial space (SES). Inflammatory changes in the SES were significant for all forms of otitis media, but especially for POM and SOM. Epithelial metaplasia to secretory cells was most prominent in MOM. Chemical factors involved in pathogenesis and defense were studied. Lactic dehydrogenase and lysozyme, chemical indicators of inflammatory activity, were greater in POM and MOM than in SOM. Immunoglobulins (A, G, & M) were greater in MOM than in SOM. The similarity of findings between the groups suggests a strong relationship between them. The ability of certain types of otitis media to evolve into another substantiates the concept of the continuum for some patients. Pathogenesis is dependent upon various extrinsic factors of etiopathogenesis, while the form that otitis media takes seems to rely mostly on relative activity of the SES and the epithelium.

The middle ear

2019 ◽  
pp. 95-116
Author(s):  
Rogan Corbridge ◽  
Nicholas Steventon
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Eustachian Tube ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Glue Ear ◽  
And Function

The structure and function of the ear are documented, along with congenital abnormalities. The function of the Eustachian tube and symptoms caused by a blocked or patulous tube are discussed, along with possible treatments. Acute otitis media and its complications and management are explored. Strategies for managing glue ear and chronic suppurative otitis media with and without cholesteatoma are investigated. Surgical intervention is highlighted. The condition of otosclerosis and its diagnosis and management options are listed.

The Protein Pattern of Middle Ear Effusion in Serous Otitis Media Behind an Intact Drum

1971 ◽  
Vol 71 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 153-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Van de Calseyde ◽  
V. Blaton ◽  
W. Ampe ◽  
H. Goethals ◽  
H. Peeters
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Protein Pattern ◽  
Middle Ear Effusion ◽  
Serous Otitis Media ◽  
Ear Effusion

Glue ear in children: medical management

1986 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 22-24
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
School Child ◽  
Medical Management ◽  
Secretory Otitis Media ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Childhood Deafness ◽  
Glue Ear ◽  
Serous Otitis Media ◽  
Normal Speech

“Glue ear”, also known as secretory otitis media, serous otitis media or non-suppurative otitis media, is the commonest cause of childhood deafness, interfering with the acquisition of normal speech and learning. It affects at least one pre-school child in ten.1

The middle ear

2009 ◽  
pp. 89-108
Author(s):  
Rogan Corbridge ◽  
Nicholas Steventon
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Congenital Abnormalities ◽  
Otitis Media With Effusion ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Glue Ear ◽  
And Function

Structure and function of the middle ear 90 Congenital abnormalities of the middle ear 92 Acute otitis media 94 Complications of acute otitis media 96 Glue ear/otitis media with effusion 97 Chronic suppurative otitis media without cholesteatoma 98 Chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma 100...

EARLY TREATMENT OF THE UNIVERSAL OTITIS MEDIA OF INFANTS WITH CLEFT PALATE

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack L. Paradise ◽  
Charles D. Bluestone
Keyword(s):  
Cleft Palate ◽  
Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Middle Ear Effusion ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Tympanostomy Tubes ◽  
Palate Repair ◽  
Ear Effusion

In 138 infants with cleft palate, secretory or suppurative otitis media was a universal complication. Middle ear aeration was instituted by means of myringotomy, aspiration of middle ear liquid, and insertion of tympanostomy tubes, and this procedure was repeated whenever recurrence of middle ear effusion followed blockage or extrusion of the tubes. In infants with either complete or incomplete clefts of the palate, satisfactory middle ear status could usually be maintained. Otorrhea through tympanostomy tubes occurred frequently, but usually responded promptly to treatment. Palate repair resulted in sharp improvement in middle ear status. Early relief of middle ear effusion anti establishment and maintenance of middle ear aeration in infants with cleft palate may help maintain normal hearing acuity throughout infancy, with favorable implications for language and intellectual development, and may reduce the risk of permanent middle ear damage and hearing impairment. Further study is necessary to determine the long-term efficacy of this regimen.

New Ways of Looking at Ears

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-132
Author(s):  
Richard J. Gluckman
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Otitis Media ◽  
Acoustic Impedance ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Doctor Who ◽  
Suppurative Otitis Media ◽  
Impedance Measurements ◽  
Glue Ear ◽  
Serous Otitis Media

Two articles in Pediatrics complement each other very nicely: "Acute Suppurative Otitis Media" by Rowe (56:285, August 1975) and "The Application of Acoustic Impedance Measurements to Pediatric Clinical Practice" by Ehrlich and Tait (55:666, May 1975). The former article expresses indirectly what I have always felt, that is, that a doctor who calls acute otitis media a "red ear" is either using a colloquialism or doesn't know what he is talking about. The second article provides a method for teaching residents and interns how to diagnose not only the acute otitis but also the serous otitis media and "glue ear" that are so frequently missed by the untrained observer.

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