EVALUATION OF BALANCE DISTURBANCES IN CHILDREN WITH MIDDLE-EAR EFFUSION

Objectives: Vertigo and dizziness are not common complaints in childho od, but are present more often than formerly thought. These symptoms a re usually caused by otitis media (OM) and middle ear effusion (MEE), two of the most common disorders in children, but were not studied unt il recently. The purpose of this study was to determine objectively th e incidence of balance-related symptoms occurring in children with lon g lasting MEE and to determine if these symptoms resolve following the insertion of ventilation tubes (VT). Methods: In total 64 children, a ged between 4.5 and 7.5 years, were studied using the Bruininks-Oseret sky tests for motor proficiency, before and after insertion of VT. The y were compared to 57 healthy children with no history of middle ear d iseases. Results: Pathological findings were identified in 39 children with chronic MEE, as compared to only four children of the controls. Following VT insertion the symptoms and signs of balance disturbances resolved in mostly all the operated children. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that balance-related symptoms often encountere d in young children may result from chronic MEE and that these symptom s resolve following ventilation of the middle ear. (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.