No evidence of cholesteatoma in untreated otitis media with effusion in children with primary ciliary dyskinesia

Introduction: Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) describes a group of inherited disorders that result in abnormal ciliary motion leading to mucous stasis. Clinical features include almost universally otitis media with effusion (OME), particularly in infants. PCD patients provide us with a cohort of patients with OME that is not treated with ventilatory tube (VT) insertion as these have been shown to result in frequent complications including chronic otorrhoea, early extrusion and persistent perforation without significant improvement to hearing in the long term. This cohort was used to investigate whether children with PCD and OME not treated with VT were predisposed to cholesteatoma formation in the setting of a paediatric quaternary referral centre.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of all the children attending a multi-disciplinary PCD clinic at a national quaternary referral centre with a diagnosis of OME. We reviewed otoscopic findings, and audiometry and tympanometry results. We assessed the children in four groups: Watchful waiting, hearing aids, VT, and VT and hearing aids.

Results: One-hundred-and-one of 107 patients included in the study had a diagnosis of otitis media with effusion. No child with OME and PCD was diagnosed with a cholesteatoma during the follow up period. The only children who had insertion of a ventilatory tube were those who had the procedure prior to the formal diagnosis of PCD. We found a significant complication rate in the children with VT insertion. Hearing improved over time. The prevalence of retraction pockets in untreated OME was 1.72% (3 out of 174 ears).

Conclusions: In children with PCD, OME is an almost universal finding in younger children, but not in adolescents. The study supports the current preference to avoid VT insertion in children with PCD as it confers a significantly higher rate of complications. No cases of cholesteatoma were found in this cohort of PCD children with OME managed without VTs.