Objective: Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is considered a cause of otitis media with effusion (OME). This study aimed to investigate whether OME can be effectively treated with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), therefore implicating GER as a causative factor of OME.
Materials and methods: A PPI or placebo was randomly administered to enrolled subjects for 4-8 weeks. To monitor effusion status, subjects underwent monthly pneumatic otoscopy and acoustic reflectometry. At enrollment and at completion of treatment, subjects underwent an audiogram and tympanogram for assessing changes in hearing due to altered fluid levels in the middle ear. After the treatment period, tympanostomy tube placement was recommended for subjects with unresolved effusion.
Results: This study enrolled 16 patients with an average age of 5.17 years. Between the treatment and placebo groups, there was no significant difference in the need for tympanostomy tubes. At completion of this study, patients receiving Lansoprazole demonstrated a significant improvement in pure tone average (p<0.01) and speech recognition thresholds (p=0.04). Four patients (25%) from the cohort dropped out of the study. Eight patients (50%) from the cohort required tympanostomy tube placement.
Conclusion: Owing to difficulties with recruitment and small sample size, this study was unable to demonstrate the use of PPI in treating OME. A larger study is needed for further evaluation of this process.