[Soft palate muscles electrostimulation in treatment of children at different stages of exudative otitis media]. / Elektrostimuliatsiia myshts miagkogo neba v lechenii detei s razlichnymi stadiiami ékssudativnogo srednego otita.

We studied efficacy of electrical stimulation of soft palate muscles in 180 patients (292 ears) with various stages of exudative otitis media (EOM). The analysis of the results covered 172 patients. 8 patients withdraw because of the 4th (fibrous) stage of the process (n=4) and incomplete treatment course (n=4). Normalization of audibility thresholds and tympanometric parameters was observed after 10 sessions of electrostimulation in 129 (75.0%) patients with early EOM stages. The effect persisted for 1 year. 3 (1.7%) patients with EOM stage II and 40 (23.3%) patients with stage III failed the treatment. For them bypass operation was recommended. Postoperative electrostimulation of the acoustic tube muscles and standard manipulations were made. Faster recovery of audiometric and tympanometric parameters were recorded in all the patients. Thus, electric stimulation of acoustic tube muscles can be recommended for children with EOM stage I, for most of the children with stage II and for children at stage III in postoperative period after tympanostomy with insertion of the bypass.