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Table 1. Abbreviations and Definitions of Common Terms
Term Definition
Otitis media with
effusion (OME)
e presence of fluid in the middle ear without signs or symptoms
of acute ear infection.
Chronic OME OME persisting for 3 months or longer from the date of onset (if
known) or from the date of diagnosis (if onset is unknown).
Acute otitis
media (AOM)
e rapid onset of signs and symptoms of inflammation of the
middle ear.
Middle ear
effusion
Fluid in the middle ear from any cause. Middle ear effusion is
present with both OME and AOM, and may persist for weeks or
months aer the signs and symptoms of AOM resolve.
Hearing
assessment
A means of gathering information about a child's hearing status,
which may include caregiver report, audiologic assessment by
an audiologist, or hearing testing by a physician or allied health
professional using screening or standard equipment, which may
be automated or manual. Does not include use of noisemakers or
other non-standardized methods.
Pneumatic
otoscopy
A method of examining the middle ear by using an otoscope with
an attached rubber bulb to change the pressure in the ear canal
and see how the eardrum reacts. A normal eardrum moves briskly
with applied pressure but when there is fluid in the middle ear the
movement is minimal or sluggish.
Tympanogram An objective measure of how easily the tympanic membrane
vibrates and at what pressure it does so most easily (pressure-
admittance function). If the middle ear is filled with fluid (e.g.,
OME), vibration is impaired and the result is a flat, or nearly flat,
tracing. If the middle ear is filled with air, but at a higher or lower
pressure than the surrounding atmosphere, the peak on the graph
will be shied in position based on the pressure (to the le if
negative, to the right if positive).
Conductive
hearing loss
Hearing loss from abnormal or impaired sound transmission to the
inner ear, which is oen associated with effusion in the middle ear,
but can be caused by other middle ear abnormalities as tympanic
membrane perforation, or ossicle abnormalities
Sensorineural
hearing loss
Hearing loss that results from abnormal transmission of sound
from the sensory cells of the inner ear to the brain.
