Laser-assisted tympanic membrane fenestration

Abstract

Otitis media is one of the most common medical conditions treated by physicians in the United States, especially in children. Antibiotics have been a mainstay of treatment for this condition for decades. However, in recent years, with the evolution of antibiotic-resistant organisms and increased costs of prescription drugs, alternative therapies have been sought. Surgical techniques, most often tympanostomy tube placement, are frequently necessary and usually require a general anesthesia. An alternative procedure, laser-assisted tympanic membrane fenestration (LTMF), uses middle ear ventilation to treat recalcitrant middle ear effusions and access infected middle ear fluid for culture. Antibiotic choice can then be culture-driven in the acute otitis patient, and tympanostomy tubes may often be avoided for children with chronic otitis media with effusion.