Is the Vestibular System Affected by Middle Ear Effusion?

Abstract

The association between middle ear effusion (MEE) and vestibular pathology is controversial. To investigate this point, 50 children with MEE scheduled for myringotomy and grommet, and 20 normal hearing children without MEE scheduled for adenotonsillectomy, underwent vestibular investigations by craniocorpography and rotatory chair, preoperatively and postoperatively. Most of the correlations, preoperative vs. postoperative, and study vs. control groups, were nonsignificant. Assuming that serous labyrinthitis is responsible for vestibular involvement in MEE, the lack of significant vestibular pathology in our study could probably be explained by the fact that no children with acute otitis media episodes or otalgia were included. (OTOLARYNGOL HEAD NECK SURG 1993;109:421-6.)

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Harrison

. Vertigo in childhood. J Laryngol Otol 1962; 76: 601–16

Eviatar

. Vertigo in children: Different diagnosis and treatment. Pediatrics 1977; 59: 833–8

Editorial. Vertigo in children. Br Med J 1977;1173

Busis

. Vertigo. In: Bluestone

Stool

eds. Paediatric otolaryngology. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Publishing Co., 1983: 261–70

Spector

. Dizziness and vertigo. New York: Grune & Stratton, 1965: 158

Blayney

Coleman

. Dizziness in childhood. Clin Otolaryngol 1984; 9: 77–85

Grace

ARH

Pfleiderer

. Disequilibrium and otitis media with effusion. J Laryngol Otol 1990; 104: 682–4

Claussen

. Die Cranio-corpographie. Arch Ohr Nas U Kehlk-Heilk 1974: 207–10

Ben-David

Podoshin

Fradis

. A comparative cranio-corpography study on the findings in the Romberg standing test versus the Unterberger/Fukuda stepping test in vertigo patients. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Belg 1985; 39: 924–32

10.

Golz

Westerman

Gilbert

Joachims

Netzer

. The effect of middle ear effusion on the vestibular labyrinth. J Laryngol Otol 1991; 105: 987–9

11.

Jones

Prichard

AJN

Radomskiy

Snashell

. Imbalance and chronic secretory otitis media in children: Effect of myringotomy and insertion of ventilation tubes on body sway. Am Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1990; 99: 477–81

12.

Gates

. Vertigo in children. Ear Nose Throat J 1980; 59: 358–65

13.

Denning

Mayberry

. Vestibular dysfunction in preschool children with history of otitis media. Occup Ther J Res 1987; 7: 335–48

14.

Goycoolea

Muchow

Schachern

. Experimental studies on round window structure: Function and permeability. Laryngoscope 1988; 98: 6: 1–120

15.

Casselbrant

Black

Nasher

Panion

. Vestibular function assessment in children with otitis media with effusion. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol Suppl 1983; 107: 92: 46–7

16.

Bezold

. Experimentelle Untersuchungen uber den Scha-leitungsapparat des menschlichen Ohren II Teil. Arch Ohrenheilkumde 1908; 77: 19–26

17.

Kobrak

. Influence of middle ear on labyrinthine pressure. Arch Otolaryngol 1935; 212: 547–60

18.

Tjernstrom

. Middle ear mechanics and alternobaric vertigo. Acta Otolaryngol 1974; 78: 376–84

19.

Ferber

. The epidemiology of OME. In: Sade

, ed. Acute and secretory otitis media. Basel, Switzerland: Kugler Publication, 1986: 151–6

20.

Ebrond

Birch

. Prospective epidemiological investigation of secretory otitis media in children attending day care centers. In: Sade

, ed. Acute and secretory otitis media. Basel, Switzerland: Kugler Publication, 1986: 147–9