The Role of Blood Inflammatory Parameters in the Evaluation of Otitis Media with Effusion in Children with Obstructive Adenoid Hypertrophy: Retrospective study

Introduction: It has been reported that inflammatory parameters of neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), eosinophil basophil ratio (EBR), systemic immune index (SII) and mean platelet volume (MPV) in the blood have prognostic and diagnostic values in diseases accompanied by inflammation. Serous/Mucoid differentiation of otitis media with effusion (OME) and the decision to apply a ventilation tube (VT) can be difficult. Our study aimed to examine the importance of blood inflammatory parameters in the evaluation of effusion character in OME with obstructive adenoid hypertrophy (OAH). Materials and Methods: Preoperative blood tests of 215 pediatric patients who were operated with the diagnosis of OAH in our clinic between January 1 and December 31, 2022 were scanned. Patients with OME were grouped as Serous OME (Group 1, n:33) and Mucoid OME (Group 2, n:69). Children without accompanying OME were considered as control group (Group 3, n:113). NLR, PLR, EBR, SII and MPV values of the groups were compared. Results: NLR value was found to be significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 3 (p=0.023). MPV values were found to be significantly lower in Group 2 compared to Group 3 (p=0.015). No significant difference was detected between the groups in terms of other parameters. Conclusion: The low NLR may suggest that the effusion may be of serous character. In patients with low MPV, it should be taken into account that mucoid EOM increases.