Duration of middle ear effusion after acute otitis media

Abstract

In approximately 50% of young children persistent otitis media with effusion (POME) is found by otoscopic examination or by tympan-ometry 10 to 14 days after the physician institutes antimicrobial treatment for acute otitis media. Over a 180-day period the course of persistent otitis media with effusion was studied in predominantly middle class, otherwise healthy white children under 3 years of age. One month after POME was first diagnosed, 22 (29%) of the children still had POME. By the second month 11 (14%) of these children still had POME. Only 5 (6%) of the study population had POME which persisted for more than 90 days. The mean duration of POME was 40 days; (median 14 days). These data suggest that in most cases POME is a self-limiting condition when found in young, otherwise healthy, middle class white children.