Tympanostomy tubes: patient selection and special considerations.

Indications for tympanostomy tube (TT) placement in children with chronic serous effusions and hearing loss are fairly well established. The use of TTs for children with recurrent acute otitis media (rAOM) has not been studied as extensively as for those with hearing loss from middle-ear effusions. There is a subset of children who fall outside established guidelines for either of the preceding categories who may benefit from TT placement. The indications for TT placement in children with middle-ear disease are discussed.