Outcome of the 'waiting until spontaneous extrusion' strategy for long-term tympanostomy tube placement in children with cleft palate

Background Otitis media with effusion (OME) in children with cleft palate (CP) is known to be refractory to treatment and most of these patients undergo surgery for ventilation tube (VT) placement. Objectives To identify the outcomes of children with CP using long-term VT with a 'waiting until spontaneous extrusion' strategy. Material and methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all children with CP who visited our department from December 2016 to November 2017 and who received long-term VT placement in our department. Risk factors related to residual perforation and recurrence of OME were analyzed. Results A total of 106 children were included in this study. Our statistical analysis of 94 ears followed for more than three months after VT loss revealed that longer VT placement was associated with residual perforation, and shorter VT placement was associated with OME recurrence. Although a longer duration of VT placement was associated with an increased rate, extremely long-term VT placement was not associated with residual perforation, as expected. Half of the VTs were spontaneously extruded at 40 months after insertion. Conclusions and Significance Long-term VT insertion using a waiting until spontaneous extrusion strategy is a potential option for children with CP.