Quality of life improvement in children with otitis media with effusion post ventilation tube insertion: A prospective cohort study

Authors

• Abdullah S. Alkhaldi, From the Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Department (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab), King Abdulaziz Medical City-National Guard; from the Department of Research (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab) King Abdullah International Medical Research Center; from the College of Medicine (AlSahli,), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences; and from the College of Medicine (Al-Ibraheem), Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Lama M. AlSahli, From the Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Department (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab), King Abdulaziz Medical City-National Guard; from the Department of Research (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab) King Abdullah International Medical Research Center; from the College of Medicine (AlSahli,), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences; and from the College of Medicine (Al-Ibraheem), Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Sultan A. Al-Ibraheem, From the Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Department (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab), King Abdulaziz Medical City-National Guard; from the Department of Research (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab) King Abdullah International Medical Research Center; from the College of Medicine (AlSahli,), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences; and from the College of Medicine (Al-Ibraheem), Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Muataz H. Alhashem, From the Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Department (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab), King Abdulaziz Medical City-National Guard; from the Department of Research (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab) King Abdullah International Medical Research Center; from the College of Medicine (AlSahli,), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences; and from the College of Medicine (Al-Ibraheem), Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Fahad A. Al-Saab, From the Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Department (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab), King Abdulaziz Medical City-National Guard; from the Department of Research (Alkhaldi, Alhashem, Al-Saab) King Abdullah International Medical Research Center; from the College of Medicine (AlSahli,), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences; and from the College of Medicine (Al-Ibraheem), Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

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.

Article Type

Research Article

First Page

171

Last Page

174

Recommended Citation

Alkhaldi, Abdullah S.; AlSahli, Lama M.; Al-Ibraheem, Sultan A.; Alhashem, Muataz H.; and Al-Saab, Fahad A. (2025) "Quality of life improvement in children with otitis media with effusion post ventilation tube insertion: A prospective cohort study," Saudi Medical Journal: Vol. 46: Iss. 2, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2025.46.2.20240893