New Orleans—Researchers are reporting positive results of treatment of otitis media (OM) with a laser-assisted myringotomy (LAM).
Some of the latest findings were presented here in September at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.
Proponents of laser treatment for the pediatric disorder said the office-based procedure holds the promise of reducing antibiotic use and avoiding the risks of general anesthesia that is required when pressure-equalization tubes (PETs) are placed to drain fluid from the middle ear. But others question the claims, saying more stringent research must be presented before they're convinced.
EXPENSIVE EARS
Any new procedure should spark interest in the pediatric and otolaryngology communities since OM generates about 24 million pediatric visits to physicians and $5 billion in diagnosis and treatment and lost-wage costs annually in the United States. The new laser procedure works by creating in the eardrum . . . [Full Text of this Article]
