OTITIS-MEDIA FOLLOWING TYMPANOSTOMY TUBE PLACEMENT IN CHILDREN WITH IGG(2) DEFICIENCY

Children with IgG, deficiency commonly develop recurrent acute otitis media, It is believed that these infections are secondary to impaired antibody response rather than eustachian tube dysfunction and are ther efore less responsive to treatment with tympanostomy tubes. The author s compared the incidence of acute otitis media in IgG(2)-deficient pat ients following tympanostomy tube placement with controls in a retrosp ective cohort study, The charts of 20 patients (10 with IgG(2) deficie ncy and 10 controls) were reviewed. Episodes of otitis media were reco rded for 12 months, IgG(2)-deficient patients experienced three times as many occurrences of otitis media as did controls, This suggests tha t otitis media is much more common in these patients following tympano stomy tube placement, We believe that an immunodeficiency work-up shou ld be considered in patients with multiple episodes of otitis media fo llowing placement of tympanostomy tubes.