A comparative study of the efficacy of topical nasal steroids versus systemic steroids in the treatment of otitis media with effusion in children

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of using topical nasal steroids versus oral steroids in the treatment of otitis media with effusion (OME) in children. Methods: One hundred (100) patients were included in the study, they were divided into two equal groups, group A received intranasal mometasone furoate spray once daily for 6 weeks, and group B received oral steroids in tapering doses for 6 weeks, plus systemic antibiotics, and nasal decongestants for both groups, tympanogram was done every 2 weeks for all patients. Results: Highly significant improvement (P < 0.01) of OME regarding symtoms, signs, and tympanometric results, occurred in each group separately at the end of the study, with no significant difference (P > 0.05) in improvement between the two groups. Conclusion: Both topical intranasal and oral steroids are effective medical therapy in the treatment of OME in children with no significant difference between the two methods.