Medical Management of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Without Cholesteatoma in Children--Update 1992

In 1988, the authors reported their experience in medical treatment of 66 children who had chronic suppurative otitis media, including the administration of intravenous antimicrobial agents. At the time of their initial treatment, 89 percent were successfully treated with medical treatment only, and the remaining 11 percent required surgical intervention. This report presents the long-term follow-up of 51 of those children who were available for study. Of these 51 patients, 40 (78%) had resolution of their initial or recurrent otorrhea, whereas 11 (22%) had surgery either initially or at the time of a recurrence. Medical management is successful in most children who have chronic suppurative otitis media, but surgical intervention should be considered if a cholesteatoma is suspected, if medical treatment is not effective in rapidly improving the chronic infection, or if the patient has recurrent disease over a relatively short period.