Objective: Many different tympanostomy tubes have been developed with different sizes, shapes, compositions, and coatings. Despite the frequency of ventilation tube placement, very few large studies have examined the outcomes of patients receiving this procedure. An ideal tube would be easy to insert and would extrude at a predictable interval without complications. This study was performed to assess outcome measures and complication rates of the Armstrong beveled grommet tube.
Design: A retrospective case series of patients who had Armstrong beveled grommet tympanostomy tubes placed over a 3 year period by two Children's Hospital of Wisconsin pediatric Otolaryngology staff.
Main outcome measures: Patient age, diagnosis, operative findings, and time to tube extrusion were reviewed. Otorrhea, perforation, and cholesteatoma rates were also assessed.
Results: Five hundred seven consecutive patients who had Armstrong tubes placed were reviewed. One thousand ninety-six Armstrong tubes were placed in these patients. Follow-up to extrusion rates were available for 756 tubes. The mean patient age at tube placement was 33.3 months, and the median age was 23 months. Mean and median times to extrusion were 16.5 and 15.5 months. One hundred sixty episodes of otorrhea were noted in 148 patients. Four patients had histories of cholesteatoma, none of which developed in conjunction with Armstrong tubes. Ten (1.32%) perforations that have not resolved over time were noted after Armstrong tube placement.
Conclusions: Armstrong beveled grommet tympanostomy tubes have complication rates comparable with those reported for Armstrong or other short-acting tubes in smaller series.