Nasopharyngeal bacteriology and secretory otitis media in young children.

A prevalence study was performed on the nasopharyngeal bacteriology of 112 young children, aged 4-6 years. During the preceding 2 years, 74 of these children had suffered from secretory otitis media (SOM) and 40 had had normal middle ear ventilation. At the examination, one-third of the children with SOM had improved their middle ear status (previous SOM group), whereas otomicroscopy and tympanometry remained unchanged in the healthy group.

The significance of attention and duration of the stimulation in optokinetic nystagmus.

Twenty normal human subjects were exposed to horizontal optokinetic stimulation of (OKN) of one minute's duration. They were instructed either to look attentively at every passing target or to stare unattentively at the moving field. After one week the tests were repeated.

Spontaneous course of secretory otitis and changes of the eardrum.

In 222 nonselected, otherwise healthy children, seven repetitive tympanometric screenings were performed from ages 4 to 7 years. At the last three screenings, otomicroscopy was performed and the changes of the eardrum were analyzed. At age five years 24%, at age six years 37%, and at age seven years 39% of all 444 ears had changes of the eardrum, either attic retractions of varying degrees, atrophy, and/or tympanosclerosis of the pars tensa.

Caloric testing with small temperature gradients. Caloric zero.

Caloric nystagmus was investigated in 50 normal subjects with stimulation of the temperatures 30, 33, 35, 39, 41, and 44 degrees C. Mean values of the duration and the eye speed of the slow phase of adjacent temperatures were significantly different. No difference could be demonstrated between the equidistant temperatures 30/44 and 35/41 degrees C, but the response was significantly stronger with 35 than with 39 degrees C.