The prevalence of tympanic membrane and related middle ear pathology in children: a large longitudinal cohort study followed from birth to age ten.

OBJECTIVE

To record with video-otoscopy the appearance of the tympanic membranes of a cross section of children aged 9 to 10 years.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study nested within an established longitudinal study of childhood development, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

SETTING

South West England, U.K.

PARTICIPANTS

Approximately 6908 of 7261 children with ages ranging from 105 to 140 months born between April 1, 1991, and December 31, 1992, were examined by trained technicians with video-otoscopy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Two photographs were taken of each child's tympanic membranes to show the features of the pars tensa and the pars flaccida.

RESULTS

In just less than three quarters of the children, both ears were normal. Retraction of the pars flaccida was present in 9.6% of children, and that of the pars tensa was present in 7.9%. Most of these changes were mild with few severe retractions. There were 15 cases of overt or suspected cholesteatoma.

CONCLUSION

The tympanic membrane changes reflect most of the middle ear disease seen in 9- to 10-year-old children. The prevalence is low, and few children have serious disease at this stage.