Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers

Discover Pediatric Collections on COVID-19 and Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health

American Academy of Pediatrics
Review Article

Evidence Assessment of the Accuracy of Methods of Diagnosing Middle Ear Effusion in Children With Otitis Media With Effusion

Glenn S. Takata, Linda S. Chan, Tricia Morphew, Rita Mangione-Smith, Sally C. Morton and Paul Shekelle
Pediatrics December 2003, 112 (6) 1379-1387;
Glenn S. Takata
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Linda S. Chan
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Tricia Morphew
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Rita Mangione-Smith
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Sally C. Morton
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Paul Shekelle
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Download PDF

Abstract

Objectives. We report the findings of an evidence assessment on the accuracy of methods of diagnosing middle ear effusion in children with otitis media with effusion (OME).

Methods. We searched Medline (1966–January 2000), the Cochrane Library (through January 2000), and Embase (1980–January 2000) and identified additional articles from reference lists in proceedings, published articles, reports, and guidelines. Excluded were nonhuman studies; case reports; editorials; letters; reviews; practice guidelines; non–English-language publications; and studies on patients with immunodeficiencies, craniofacial anomalies (including cleft palate), primary mucosal disorders, or genetic conditions. From each eligible study, we calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy, and prevalence of OME in the cohort. We determined the number of studies for each comparison of a diagnostic method and a reference standard listed within the scope of our assessment. For comparisons with 3 or more studies, we derived random effects estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and prevalence rate. Using the pooled estimates, we plotted the performance of each diagnostic test in terms of sensitivity and (1 − specificity) and identified the best performer among the tests included in the comparison.

Results. Among 8 diagnostic methods, pneumatic otoscopy had the best apparent performance with a sensitivity of 94% (95% confidence interval: 92%–96%) and a specificity of 80% (95% confidence interval: 75%–86%). However, examiner qualifications were reported inconsistently, and training was not specified.

Conclusions. The finding that pneumatic otoscopy can do as well as or better than tympanometry and acoustic reflectometry has significant practical implications. For the typical clinician, pneumatic otoscopy should be easier to use than other diagnostic methods. The important question may be what degree of training will be needed for the clinician to be as effective with pneumatic otoscopy as were the examiners in the studies reviewed in this report.

  • diagnostic methods
  • otitis media with effusion
  • Received November 18, 2002.
  • Accepted April 28, 2003.
  • Copyright © 2003 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Individual Login

Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.

Institutional Login

via Institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your librarian or administrator if you do not have a username and password.

Log in through your institution

If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 days for US$25.00

Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

Offer Reprints

PreviousNext
Back to top

Advertising Disclaimer »

In this issue

Pediatrics
Vol. 112, Issue 6
1 Dec 2003
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS
PreviousNext
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Evidence Assessment of the Accuracy of Methods of Diagnosing Middle Ear Effusion in Children With Otitis Media With Effusion
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Request Permissions
Article Alerts
Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Evidence Assessment of the Accuracy of Methods of Diagnosing Middle Ear Effusion in Children With Otitis Media With Effusion
Glenn S. Takata, Linda S. Chan, Tricia Morphew, Rita Mangione-Smith, Sally C. Morton, Paul Shekelle
Pediatrics Dec 2003, 112 (6) 1379-1387;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Evidence Assessment of the Accuracy of Methods of Diagnosing Middle Ear Effusion in Children With Otitis Media With Effusion
Glenn S. Takata, Linda S. Chan, Tricia Morphew, Rita Mangione-Smith, Sally C. Morton, Paul Shekelle
Pediatrics Dec 2003, 112 (6) 1379-1387;
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Print
Download PDF
Insight Alerts
  • Table of Contents

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • DISCUSSION
    • Acknowledgments
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Use and teaching of pneumatic otoscopy in a family medicine residency program
  • Other articles noted: 06 Feb 2004 to 16 Apr 2004
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Machine Learning for Child and Adolescent Health: A Systematic Review
  • Effects of Probiotics in Preterm Infants: A Network Meta-analysis
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences and Justice System Contact: A Systematic Review
Show more Review Articles

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Infectious Disease
    • Infectious Disease
  • Journal Info
  • Editorial Board
  • Editorial Policies
  • Overview
  • Licensing Information
  • Authors/Reviewers
  • Author Guidelines
  • Submit My Manuscript
  • Open Access
  • Reviewer Guidelines
  • Librarians
  • Institutional Subscriptions
  • Usage Stats
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • International Access
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • FAQ
  • AAP.org
  • shopAAP
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
  • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
  • RSS
American Academy of Pediatrics

© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics