Otologic Disease Following Palatoplasty In International Cleft Palate Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Study the prevalence of otologic disease in a pediatric post-palatoplasty population with no prior ear tube placement in resource-deprived countries and assess patient characteristics associated with these abnormal results.

DESIGN: Retrospective data review.

PARTICIPANTS: Ecuadorian and Chinese children identified during humanitarian cleft lip and palate repair trips with cleft palates undergoing palatoplasty from 2007 to 2010.

INTERVENTIONS: Tympanometry and otoacoustic emission (OAE) testing performed following palatoplasty. Patients' parents administered surveys regarding perceived hearing deficits.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age, gender, Veau classification, follow-up time, laterality, and country of origin were evaluated for possible association with type B tympanogram, "Refer" Otoacoustic results, and presence of hearing difficulty as identified by a parent. Significant predictors were further evaluated with multivariate analysis.

RESULTS: The cohorts included 237 patients (129 Ecuadorian, 108 Chinese); mean age: 3.9 years; mean follow-up: 4.2 years. Thirty-nine percent scored type B, 38% failed OAE testing, and 8% of parents noted hearing deficits. The country of origin and a younger age were identified as predictive variables regarding type B tympanogram. Follow-up time, country of origin, and bilateral OAE "Refer" results all significantly predicted parental questionnaire results. Subsequent multivariable analysis further demonstrated effect modification between the 2 variables of age at palatoplasty and country of origin when predicting type B vs type A tympanometry.

CONCLUSION: Without otologic intervention, cleft palate children in resource-deprived settings suffer type B tympanometry and failed OAE results with similar to increased incidences to other studied cleft palate populations with otologic interventions available.