Assessing the Effect of Middle Ear Effusions on Wideband Acoustic Immittance Using Optical Coherence Tomography.
Jungeun Won, Guillermo L Monroy, Pin-Chieh Huang and 7 others
PMID 31634213WHAT IT FOUND
In 22 ears from 16 children, thicker, stickier middle ear fluid and larger fluid amounts showed lower sound absorption over mid-to-high frequencies.
Small, thin fluid often looked normal.
Key findings
01Mucoid middle ear effusions had lower absorbance than serous effusions between 2.74 and 4.73 kHz.
02Ears with severe amount of effusion had lower absorbance than ears with scant amount between 1.92 and 2.37 kHz.
03Serous-scant effusions had absorbance similar to control ears, while severe groups showed lower, flatter absorbance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 22 ears from 16 children were analyzed, and the severe subgroups had as few as 2 ears, so real differences may be missed. The children ranged from 1.3 to 15 years, an age span that can affect middle ear measurements. Measurements were done in a busy clinic, not a quiet room, and 10 ears were excluded for noisy or unstable absorbance, severe earwax, or difficult ear canals. Middle ear fluid was not confirmed by sampling or surgery, so OCT categories may not match true fluid type or amount. OCT images were taken only near the light reflex, so fluid deeper or lower in the middle ear cavity could be missed. Middle ear pressure was not measured or used in grouping, which can affect absorbance around 1 to 2 kHz.
Declared interests
Funded in part by a National Institutes of Health grant.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as a validated clinical diagnostic test for middle ear fluid. It analyzed 22 ears, did not confirm fluid by surgery, and small, thin effusions had absorbance similar to normal ears.