OTITIS MEDIA IN CHILDREN - INCIDENCE, TREATMENT, AND PROGNOSIS IN PEDIATRIC PRACTICE

The records of 772 children who experienced 2,876 episodes of acute otitis media were examined. Oral treatment with antimicrobial agents (penicillin G in 42 per cent of the patients, tetracycline in 35 per cent, and other drugs in the remainder) was found to be an effective and practical method of eradicating this condition. Performance of a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy at the ages done in this group was not shown to influence the later occurrence of otitis media significantly. Myringotomy was not found to be a necessary part of treatment for this condition. The incidence of deafness was not shown to bear a significant relationship to otitis media, nor were other significant complications found to occur under this regimen of therapy. © 1969 The C. V. Mosby Company.