Protracted otitis media with effusion in an adult patient with adenoid vegetation. Clinical case presentation

Abstract

Background Otitis media with effusion (OME) is characterized by the accumulation of non-purulent discharge in the middle ear cavity, with no signs or symptoms of acute ear infection. If the effusion persists for 3 months or more, this is considered a case of chronic otitis media with effusion (COME). The main pathogenetic mechanism for the occurrence of serous otitis is the dilatory dysfunction of the Eustachian tube. This dysfunction can be due to a number of reasons, the main one being an external obstruction resulting from the constriction of the opening of the Eustachian tube by adenoid vegetation or tumors. We present a case of protracted otitis media with effusion and adenoid vegetation in a 24-year-old man– with bilateral combined hearing loss, upper airway obstruction, and chronic sinuitis– successfully treated by bilateral tympanostomy and adenoidectomy. Materials and methods In our clinical case we have described chronologically the investigations and chosen tactics of treatment, applied to our patient, some immediate results, but also the long-term consequences of the management of this disease. Results In our opinion, the outcomes in this patient’s case were prompted not only by the specifics of this disease, but also by the interpretation of the instrumental examination and the decision-making regarding the initial treatment.