[Therapeutic results in the treatment of otitis media in children with and without cleft palate (author's transl)]

Therapeutic results in the treatment of secretory otitis media were compared in children with and without cleft palate. The children were treated by the implantation of a ventilation tube. Pre- and postoperative data of a total of 551 patients were evaluated by a computer system. Following results were obtained: 1. Severity of change in the mean air-bone gap in patients with and without cleft palate was nearly the same. 2. The men airbone gap in both series after treatment showed no significant difference. 3. After evaluating impedance measurements, children without cleft palate showed a slight improvement of pressure patterns in the middle ear, on the contrary, children with cleft palate showed a significant pressure decrease. --Because of deterioration of pressure pattern in children with cleft palate, in spite of intensive treatment, implantation of a ventilatory tube for a longer period is necessary.