[Tympanometry at a health center].

We wanted to assess how much additional information could be gained from the results of tympanometry after first performing a clinical hearing examination at a mother and child clinic. 182 children aged from six months up to four years, had their hearing first examined clinically and afterwards by tympanometry. Pathological tympanograms were seen in 39% of the ears we examined, but most of them reverted to normal spontaneously at a later stage. There was little concordance between tympanometry and BOEL test in children aged six months and one year. Concordance between tympanometry and audiometry was fairly good in four-year old children. 27 children were referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist for evaluation, 11 of them as a result of tympanometry. Operative treatment was recommended for 17 of the children. In the anamnesis there was a connection between the parents perception of their child's hearing and the child having a cold and referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Tympanometry contributes to an early diagnosis of secretory otitis media, as well as being a means of helping parents understand the periodically poor middle ear function of their child.