In recent years in the treatment of certain types of otitis media so-called tympanostomy has become an accepted method. In our departments a privileged position is held by the insertion of „pressure equalizing tubes“ (PET). The term explains best their main function. This term is based on the finding that PET after insertion into the ear drum ensures and replaces in particular the ventilation (equalizing pressure) function of the Eustachian tube. After surgery the PET are left, if functional, for a period of one years, if they are not patent they are removed sooner. In the majority of patients the tube is however rejected spontaneously into the auditory meatus. Insertion of the tube may lead to the development of structural changes of the ear drum. As a complication also persisting perforations after PET are described or discharge. All mentioned complications were only sporadic in our groups. In the present work we wanted to evaluate the period of insertion of PET in months in patients with the diagnoses otitismedia chronica secretocica (OMS) and otitismedia acuta recidivans (OMR). 349 patients were evaluated operated in the Faculty Hospital Brno, who had in 1998 and 1999 PET introduced either on account of chronic secretory otitis or relapsing otitis media. The mean age of the children when the tube was inserted was 7.1 years. The largest number of PET was inserted in children aged 7 - 10 years with the diagnosis OMS. Contrary to OMS relapsing acute otitis was the reason for inserting a PET in particular in the youngest age groups under six years. In some patients several months after insertion of PET it was rejected, in the remainder the tube was removed surgically under short general anaesthesia. Another group of patients was formed by children with the diagnosis OMStreated at the ENT department of the Frýdek-Místek hospital. In this department they inserted to 90 patients a total of 138 titanium EPT. The shortest period for which the tube was left in the ear were two months, the longest 22 months (in two patients in the age group from 11 - 16 years with the diagnosis OMS. The mean period with the tube was 8.5 months. If we compare the mean period with the results of other authors we reach the conclusion that our patients had the tubes for a shorter period, on average shorter by 0.5 to 3.5 months.

        Key words: pressure equalizing tube, otitis media secretorica, otitis media recidivans.