RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Quality of life improvement in children with otitis media with effusion post ventilation tube insertion
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 171
OP 174
DO 10.15537/smj.2025.46.2.20240893
VO 46
IS 2
A1 Alkhaldi, Abdullah S.
A1 AlSahli, Lama M.
A1 Al-Ibraheem, Sultan A.
A1 Alhashem, Muataz H.
A1 Al-Saab, Fahad A.
YR 2025
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/46/2/171.abstract
AB Objectives: To study is to establish the OM-6 scores in Saudi children with OME and subjectively assess the change in QoL following VT insertion. The Otitis Media 6 (OM-6) questionnaire is a widely used measure of the quality of life (QoL) in children with otitis media with effusion (OME). Myringotomy with ventilation tube (VT) insertion is indicated when OME persists with clinically documented hearing impairment.Methods: The present study is a prospective cohort study investigating the QoL of children with OME using a validated OM-6 questionnaire. The caregivers of 100 children were subjected to the questionnaire preoperatively from January 2023 to December 2023. All included patients underwent bilateral myringotomy and VT insertion with adenoidectomy under general anaesthesia. Caregivers were asked to complete the OM-6 questionnaire three months postoperatively to assess the change in QoL.Results: A total of 100 children were enrolled in this study. The average OM-6 score was 16 before surgery and reduced to 7 after surgery. There is a statistically significant reduction in the score after the surgery (p<0.001). While considering the OM-6 score separately, the Wilcoxon signed rank test shows that, there is statistically significant reduction in the average score of all the variables except caregiver concern, which remained the same pre and post-surgery (p<0.001).Conclusion: The QoL of children with OME measured by OM-6 questionnaire significantly improved following VT insertion.