[Current concept of chronic secretory otitis].

Excess trust in antibiotic therapy, as well as omission in paracenthesis in treating acute otitis media, are the main factors to account for the development of a new problem in the middle ear: secretory otitis media; that is, presence of liquid, usually of mucoid type, in the tympanic cavity, which constitutes the most common cause of hearing loss in children. The eustachian tube obstruction, being an important mechanical obstructive factor in this pathologic type problem, as well as recent evidence from studies, showing that the mucosa of the middle ear, suffering repeated infections, undergoes metaplasic changes, to a glandular epithelium that maintains the presence of liquid in the cavity. Stress is placed on symptoms and signs in infants and in older children as well as on the medical and surgical therapy of this entity.