Effect of adenoidal enlargement on development of otitis media with effusion

Background Adenoid hypertrophy has a major effect on development of middle ear effusion not due to the large volume but through combination of factors including local immune regulation, biofilm, and immunoglobulin E allergic reaction. Aim To assess the correlation between adenoid tissue volume and development of middle ear effusion. Patients and methods This was a sequential analysis study including a sample size of 195 patients from 4 to 12 years. They were diagnosed with adenoid hypertrophy, confirmed by flexible nasopharyngeal endoscopy (FNE) and lateral neck radiographs. They were evaluated by tympanometry to assess otitis media with effusion. Results We found that 59 (29.2%) patients had FNE grade 1, 68 (35.4%) patients had FNE grade 2, 68 (35.4%) patients had FNE grade 3, and no patients had grade 4. A total of 101 (52.6%) patients had a tympanogram type A and 94 (47.4%) patients had a tympanogram type B. There was no statistically significant correlation between tympanogram groups in relation to the FNE (P=0.762). Conclusion We suggested that there was no valuable correlation between change in size or volume of adenoid tissue and development of middle ear effusion.