AIR INFLATION EFFICACY--CORTICOSTEROID THERAPY OF OTITIS MEDIA WITH EFFUSION

Children'S Hosp Pittsburgh/Upmc Hlth Sys, Pittsburgh PA

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Abstract

Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) is a common disease in the pediatric age group and remains refractory to current medical tretments. Middle ear (ME) pressure regulation is central to the maintenance of mucosal health, and dysregulation both promotes and is a consequence of OME. These considerations have generated a renewed interest in alternative non-invasive methods of maintaining stable ME pressures to prevent or treatment OME. In that regard, a variety of methods to introduce gas via the Eustachian tube, into the diseased ME has been described. However, the results of clinical studies are contradictory with reports of both no benefits of these procedures as well as high clinical cure rates for established OME. Theoretical considerations and experimental results show that the ME inflation protocols can be modified with respect to timing so as to optimize their expected physiological effect and thus their efficacy for treatment OME. However, in the absence of resolution of the underlying inflammation and/or restoration of good ME pressure regulating function, the disease is expected to recur quickly after termination of the inflation maneuvers. This is supported by the results of clinical studies that reported high recurrence rates upon discontinuing inflation. Consequently, a two-pronged intervention strategy including repeated ME air inflation to preserve ambient pressures and anti-inflammatory treatment to resolve the underlying mucosal inflammation may provide the best hope for curing persistent OME. That strategy is tested a proof-of-concept in this proposed clinical trial. Children with documented OME of at least two months duration will be randomized to receive antibiotic treatment + placebo inflation + placebo steroid (standard of care), or antibiotic + ME air inflammation + placebo steroid, or antibiotic + ME air inflation + oral corticosteroids for a one month treatment period. The cure rte for OME will be evaluated at the end of treatment and recurrence rates measured at 8 and 12 week follow-up visits. The hypotheses tested are that: 1) the two groups treated with air inflation will have comparable cure rates that are significantly greater than that of the antibiotic treatment group, and, 2) disease recurrence will be significantly greater in the group treated with inflation and placebo when compared to that treated with inflation plus corticosteroids. While primarily an evaluation of treatment efficacy for persistent OM, this study also represents a formal test of the predictive accuracy of the underlying model of disease pathogenesis.