Reversibility of reduced ciliary activity on adenoids of patients with otitis media with effusion following culture.

We have studied the ciliary activity of the pharyngeal epithelium on adenoids obtained from patients with recurrent otitis media with effusion to assess indirectly the ciliary activity in the Eustachian tube. In conclusion, the following has been speculated from the present study: (1) middle ear effusions depress the ciliary activity; and (2) recovery of the reduced ciliary activity can be achieved in an effusion-free environment inasmuch as the ciliated cells have not undergone organic changes. Prompt elimination of the effusion, if present, is of critical importance for the recuperation of tubotympanic drainage, because a positive therapeutic effect resulting from elimination of the effusion can only be possible in early phase of the disease, before irreversible morphological lesions have occurred.