Introduction: The aim of this study was to establish how reliable a given tympanogram is in predicting the presence or absence of a middle ear effusion, and to provide new views for the diagnostic information of tympanometry. The use of tympanometric gradient in addition to static admittance is the focus of this study.
Materials and methods: The authors enrolled 146 female and 129 male patients. The participants were allocated into groups as follow: Group A1 consisted of 50 healthy children. Group A2 consisted of 86 children with otitis media with effusion. Group B1 consisted of 85 healthy adults. Group B2 consisted of 54 adults with otitis media with effusion. All diagnostic otoscopic examination and tympanometry were performed in both ears. The authors analyzed the distribution of tympanograms in patients with otitis media with effusion and healthy controls.
Results: When the right and left ear canal volume of either children or adults with otitis media with effusion compared with healthy controls, no statistically significant different was observed (P > 0.05). On the other hand, the statistically significant difference was detected for the values of compliance, pressure and gradient of either children or adults with otitis media with effusion compared with healthy controls (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The authors found the values range from 0.01 to 1.52 mL gradients (mean least value 0.15 mL) in adults and the values range from 0.01 to 0.93 mL gradients (mean least value 0.10 mL) in children in the presence of otitis media with effusion. The authors think that tympanometric gradient may be useful to detect the otitis media with effusion.