Chronic secretory otitis is defined as the presence of pathological fluid with different physical properties in the middle ear for longer ghan three months. At the paediatric ENT Clinic in Brno, at the ENT Clinic in Hradec Králové and the paediatric ENT out-patient department in Brno a three-year prospective study of children with this diagnosis was made where during treatment of this condition the insertion of a ventilation tube was used. The total number of patients was 183 (336 ears) incl. 112 boys and 71 girls, means age 6.7 years. The mean period for which the ventilation tube was inserted was 234 days, the mean follow-up period after extraction of the VT also AT was performed. Cure or improvement was achieved in 66% children, the condition was unaltered in 14.7 % and the condition deteriorated in 3.8 %. The authors present criteria used for evaluation, analyze and discuss indications for the insertion of VT and suggest the procedure to be used in treatment of this disease.

        Key words: children, secretory otitis, ventilation tube, algorithm.