Outcomes of in-office versus operating room insertion of tympanostomy tubes in children.

OBJECTIVE

Tympanostomy tube insertion in children is commonly performed under general anesthesia, but there has been increasing interest in office-based alternatives. Although initial research comparing in-office versus operating room (OR) insertion of tubes looks promising, there are scant data available on long-term outcomes. The objective of this study is to compare long-term outcomes of tympanostomy tubes placed in-office versus the OR, with emphasis on the duration of tube function.

METHODS

We reviewed electronic medical records in an academic pediatric otolaryngology practice of children under age 13 years who had tubes placed in-office or the OR between 2010 and 2021. Differences in time to unilateral and bilateral tube occlusion/extrusion were compared by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log rank comparison. Cox regression modeling was performed to identify predictors of tube occlusion/extrusion.

RESULTS

817 children were included (473 office tubes, 344 OR tubes). Tube placement was equally successful for both groups (98.3% for office and 98.9% for OR). Comparison of Kaplan-Meier plots for time to unilateral and bilateral tube occlusion/extrusion by location showed no significant difference (P = .842 for unilateral and P = .714 for bilateral). However, regression analysis indicated a strong interaction of location with operator status (resident vs attending). Median time to unilateral occlusion/extrusion and bilateral occlusion/extrusion was shorter for OR residents compared to OR attendings (15.0 vs 19.5 months, P = .002, and 22.1 vs 32.0 months, P = .030, respectively). There was no difference in the time to unilateral or bilateral tube occlusion/extrusion between the office attending and OR attending groups (16.8 vs 19.5 months, P = .057 for unilateral, and 23.0 vs 32.0 months, P = .320 for bilateral). There was no significant difference between groups in the need for tube removal, repeat tubes, tube medialization, or post-extrusion tympanic membrane perforation.

CONCLUSION

The comparable long-term outcomes found for tubes inserted in-office versus the OR, including time to occlusion/extrusion, suggest that both settings are acceptable for the procedure, with choice based primarily on parental preference, clinician experience, and shared decision making with families.