背景：耳膜切開合併中耳通氣管置入手術是治療慢性中耳積液或反覆性中耳炎之常見手術；而術後耳漏是最常見且惱人之併發症，其發生率可高達30%以上，且大部份發生於術後二週內即早期耳漏。因此如何去找尋一個有效之預防方法，是相當重要的話題。方法：本研究收集自1998年10月至2001年09月三年間，診斷為雙側慢性中耳積液(持續性積液大於三個月)或反覆性中耳炎(每年中耳炎發作大於4~6次)，且首次接受雙側耳膜切開及中耳通氣管置入手術，並排除其他系統性疾病或合併其他手術之兒童患者，共計有110人，男孩61人、女孩49人，年齡介於1~13歲之間(平均年齡五歲)，左、右耳各110耳。在嚴格控制通氣管規格、外耳道無菌操作技術及由資深醫師執行下，我們選擇術後右耳滴入三滴Sofradex耳滴劑(單一劑量)，列為實驗組，左耳不作處置，列為對照組，並至少追蹤二週，視其預防早期耳漏之成效。結果：右耳(即實驗組)有9耳發生術後早期耳漏，左耳(即對照組)有12耳發生術後早期耳漏，耳漏發生率在兩組間無統計上之顯著差異(P值>0.05)。結論：術後單一劑量Sofradex耳滴劑之使用，無法有效預防早期耳漏之產生。
BACKGROUND: Myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion are commonly used to treat persistent otitis media with effusion and recurrent otitis media. Incidence of early otorrhea within two weeks after surgery has been reported as high as 30 percent and is the most frequent post-surgical complication. It is important to find effective prophylactic treatment. METHOD: From October 1998 to September 2001,110 otherwise healthy children (61 males and 49 males) who presented with bilateral chronic otitis media with effusion (persistent effusion more than 3 months) or recurrent acute otitis media (more than 4-6 episodes of acute otitis media per year) and who subsequently were treated with myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion at this clinic were recruited for study. Age range was 1 to 10 years, and mean age was 5 years. Subjects had undergone no other concurrent procedures. Patients who had previously been treated with myringotomy and/or tube insertion were excluded. Procedures were performed by a senior surgeon after aseptic ear canal preparation, and the same type of ventilation tube was used. The right ear was treated with three drops of Sofradex, and the left ear served as the control. Subjects were followed for two weeks. RESULTS: Early posttympanostomy otorrhea developed in nine ears treated with Sofradex and in twelve control ears. There was no significant difference between ears in the same individual (p-value = 0.88). CONCLUSION: Instillation of a single Sofradex dose did not significantly prevent early posttympanostomy otorrhea.
