Treatment of otitis media with effusion

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is an extremely commonplace condition in pediatric patients, particularly before the age of two years. OME tends to resolve spontaneously then only lasting and severe forms warrant treatment. Indications for treatment include frequent surinfections, lasting hearing impairement with adverse consequences on socialization or debilitation of the tympanic membrane carrying a risk for the ear. The management of OME include medical options with antibiotic treatment and oral steroids, and surgical options with tympanostomy tubes and/or adenoidectomy. Apart from specific cases the tympanostomy tubes are proposed only in case of failure of the medical treatment.