S-carboxymethylcysteine in otitis media with effusion. (A double-blind study).

S-carboxymethylcysteine syrup (SCMC); brompheniramine, phenylephrine with phenylpropanolamine elixir (BPP); and a placebo were compared in a double-blind trial in 58 children with otitis media with effusion (OME). All patients underwent myringotomies after an initial period of medical treatment. SCMC, but not BPP, was significantly better than the placebo in speeding up resolution of the effusion after surgery, as judged by pure tone audiometry, showing this drug to be a useful adjunct to the surgical management of OME. It should also be considered as an alternative to surgery.