Loading...
Chronic otitis media with purulent otorrhea draining through a tympanic membrane perforation or a tympanostomy tube is a stubborn condition that can lead to hearing loss and mastoiditis. Investigators in the Netherlands randomized 101 children (age range, 1–12 years) with otorrhea lasting 3 months or longer to receive oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX, 18 mg/kg) or placebo twice daily for at least 6 weeks. All subjects had failed treatment with topical ear drops, short-term systemic antibiotics, or both. Ninety percent had a history of tympanostomy tube placement. If otorrhea was still present at the 6-week follow-up visit, treatment was continued for another 6 weeks. Treatment was restarted if otorrhea recurred between 6 and 12 w…