Otitis media with effusion and hearing loss in Chinese children with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the incidence of otitis media with effusion and the associated hearing loss, the rate of ventilation tube insertion, and complications of ventilation tube insertion in Chinese cleft palate patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective review in a tertiary care hospital in Hong Kong.

PATIENTS

A total of 104 consecutive patients with cleft lip and/or cleft palate who were born between January 1996 and January 2006.

RESULTS

The incidence of otitis media with effusion in Chinese cleft palate patients for the first 2 years after birth was 76.1%. Of these patients, 16.9% had otitis media with effusion associated with a moderate hearing loss (>40 decibels hearing level [dBHL]). Approximately half (53.2%) of our patients had ventilation tube insertion. Complications including retraction, tympanosclerosis, and perforation of the tympanic membrane were found in 15.7% of all ears with otitis media with effusion and ventilation tube insertion.

CONCLUSIONS

The high incidence of otitis media with effusion in cleft palate infants found in this study is consistent with that reported in the Western literature. A small but significant proportion of otitis media with effusion was associated with moderate hearing loss that truly required surgical treatment. Cleft palate children are much more likely to develop otitis media with effusion than normal children, and they develop the condition at an earlier age. A protocol for the treatment of otitis media with effusion in cleft palate patients and further prospective studies are warranted.