Ann Clin Otolaryngol | Volume 2, Issue 3 | Research Article | Open Access
Carr M
Department of Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, USA
*Correspondance to: Michele Carr
Fulltext PDFIntroduction: The purpose was to compare the frequency of otorrhea in infants with ventilation tubes (VT) who had an unrepaired cleft palate (OCP) to those with intact palates (IP). Study
Design: Retrospective chart review.
Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of 134 infants under 8 months of age presenting to a tertiary care institution between 2003 and 2012 for VT insertion.
Results: This group included 63 infants with OCP and 71 infants with IP. There were more boys in the OCP group, and the children were younger than the IP group (4.5 versus 6.2 months, p<0.005). OCP patients were more likely to have clinic visits for otorrhea, as 60% did, than were infants in the IP group, where 38% did (p<0.005). Twenty-two percent of the OCP patients had 3 or more clinic visits for otorrhea versus 6% of the IP group (p<0.005). No IP patients had prolonged otorrhea (duration >1 month) while 20.6% of the OCP did (p<0.005). VT were extruded or blocked at one year in 36% of the OCP group versus 18% of the IP group (p<0.05). Conclusions: Overall, VT outcomes were poorer in infants with unrepaired cleft palates than in infants with intact palates. Clinic visits were more likely, resulting in more resources being required for their care.
Carr M. Otorrhea in Infants with Open Cleft Palate. Ann Clin Otolaryngol. 2017; 2(3): 1017.