ArticleAnnals of African medicine
Update on first African clinical trial on earpopper for the treatment of otitis media with effusion [FCT/UATH/HREC/PR/330].
Article in Annals of African medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- ISOM 2023 Research Panel 5: Interventions- Vaccines and prevention, medical and surgical treatment, and impact of COVID-19 pandemic.International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a middle ear condition characterized by the accumulation of serous fluid. It is common, though not exclusive; among children with its attendant developmental consequence if missed or untreated in early life. OME could be managed surgically, pharmacologically, or physiologically. EarPopper is a medical device developed for physiologic management of OME, Eustachian tube dysfunction, and related problems. We aim to ascertain the suitability/efficiency of EarPopper® device for the treatment of OME in our setting. Methodology: This is a prospective interventional study of volunteers diagnosed with OME from four (4) medical centers in Abuja. Pneumatic otoscopy, video-otoscopy, tympanometry, and pure-tone audiometry were done to confirm the diagnosis. Serial EarPopper sessions were performed twice weekly for 2-12 weeks, and outcome was assessed using patients' reports. The reports include the EarPopper scoring system (ESS) and audiometric parameters (before and after therapy). Results: Forty-five patients (17 males and 28 females) aged between 3-56 years were enrolled. Thirty-five were diagnosed with bilateral OME and 10 unilateral. All patients had Type-B tympanometry tracing with mild-to-moderate conductive hearing losses and ESS of between 2.45% and 84%. Out of the 45 participants, 32 (71.1%) completed the treatment, whereas 13 (28.9%) were lost to follow-up. Duration of EarPopper treatment ranged from 2 to 12 weeks. The outcome revealed improvement in 26/32 (81.3%) with significant reduction in ESS (1% to 9.8%). Six patients 6/32 (18.9%) had persistence symptoms. These 18.9% had the propensity to progress to chronic OME. Conclusion: This study highly suggests good prospect in using EarPopper for the management of OME among Africans.
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