Effectiveness of mometasone furoate nasal spray on tympanometric results and hearing loss in children with otitis media with effusion

Abstract

Abstract Background Otitis media with effusion (OME) is one of the commonest causes of hearing loss in children. Oral and nasal topical steroids alone or combined with antibiotics lead to its quicker resolution. The aim of this study was the assessment of the efficacy of mometasone furoate nasal spray in conjunction with oral antibiotics for management of OME in children. One hundred sixty-eight children aged (4–12 years old) diagnosed with bilateral OME for at least 3 months were randomly allocated into two equal groups: the 1st group received mometasone furoate aqueous nasal spray plus oral amoxicillin–clavulanate for 4 weeks, and the 2nd group received amoxicillin–clavulanate alone for the same period. Results The tympanometric results after 1 month of medical treatment was much better in the 1st group compared to the 2nd group with 60% of patients of the 1st group having type A tympanogram versus 16% of patients of the 2nd group having this type (p = 0.0001). However, the average air-bone gap was not statistically different between the two groups. Conclusion Mometasone furoate nasal spray is effective in OME as adjunctive treatment when combined with antibiotics as it helps to normalize the Eustachian tube function and middle ear status.