Long-term follow-up of children inserted with T-tubes as a primary procedure for otitis media with effusion.

This study reviews 90 children who underwent T-tube insertion as a primary procedure for otitis media with effusion over a 3-year period and compares the long-term results with a similar group, matched in terms of age, treated with conventional Shepard grommets during the same period. Fifty-one patients (102 ears) in the T-tube group and 53 patients (106 ears) in the Shepherd grommet group attended for clinical review, a minimum of 6 years post-surgery. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of pre-operative symptoms (P = 0.95), operative findings (P = 0.84), hearing loss (P = 0.75), or degree of retraction or tympanosclerosis of the tympanic membrane (P = 0.80). A perforation rate of 24% in the T-tube group, compared with 2% in the Shepard grommet group (P = 0.001) is directly attributable to T-tube insertion. Furthermore, the risk of perforation was related to the duration of the ventilation tube in the tympanic membrane.