THE RELATION BETWEEN THE DEGREE OF MASTOID PNEUMATIZATION HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES OF MIDDLE EAR MUCOSA AND MIDDLE EAR PRESSURE IN OTITIS MEDIA

对36例置入通气管的OME患儿，分别在置入鼓室造瘘管后14天、1个月、3个月、6个月、12个月及18个月以上进行中耳腔压力和容积在线测量。观察压力、容积、x线胸片乳突气化程度及中耳黏膜标本病理组织学变化。我们的观察显示，中耳腔容积与x线片上气化程度的相关系数在鼓室造瘘管置入后3个月和4个月最高。这一相关性表明，由OME炎症引起的增厚粘膜直到此时才向正常粘膜厚度转变。同时中耳腔压力最低，此后逐渐升高。中耳压力升高的恢复速度与中耳黏膜组织病理变化密切相关。在中耳压恢复率方面，低炎症组与高炎症组的数据有显著差异。在高炎症组，压力恢复正常需要一年多的时间。本研究表明，测量中耳腔压力和容积可用于评估OME的恢复阶段。

On-line measurements of the pressure and volume of the middle ear cavity were performed in thirty six cases of OME in children with insertion of ventilation tube, at 14days, 1months, 3months, 6months, 12months and more than 18 months after the insertion of a tympanostomy tube. The data of the pressure and volume were investigated together with the degree of mastoid pneumatization on X-ray film and the histopathological chages of middle ear mucosa samples.Our observation showed that the coefficient of correlation in comparing the data of the volume of middle ear cavity to the data of the degree of pneumatization on X-ray film was highest at three and four months after insertion of tympanostomy tube. This correlation indicated that the hypertrophied mucosa by the inflammation of OME turned to the normal thickness of mucosa until this time. The pressure of middle ear cavity was lowest at this same time and after that it elevated gradually. The recovery rate of elevation of the middle ear pressure was closely related to the histopathological changes of midle ear mucosa. Regarding the recovery rate of the middle ear pressure, significant difference could be distinguished in comparing the data of the low inflamed group to the data of the high inflamed group. In high inflamed group, it took more than one year when the pressure turned to the normal level.This sutdy showed that the measurements of pressure and volume of middle ear cavity was useful to evaluate the recovery phase of OME.