OVERVIEW
This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose answer is otitis media with effusion (OME). While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how OME will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a traditional question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a disease is quite valuable.
QUESTION EXAMPLES
Question # 1
A 4 year old boy is brought to the pediatrician by his mother because he seems to be experiencing hearing loss. Over the past few weeks he has been turning up the radio much louder in the car to hear his favorite songs. He has reached all developmental milestones to date, and is all caught up with his vaccinations. When asked about his ears, the child explains that they feel “stuffed up”. His medical history is notable for recurrent episodes of acute otitis media. His vital are within normal limits. A physical exam reveals an unremarkable nasopharynx, and there is no cervical lymphadenopathy. An otoscopic examination is conducted and reveals that the right tympanic membrane is immobile with an air-fluid level behind it. Partial opacifications are also seen. There is no erythema. What is the likely diagnosis?
Page Updated: 03.16.2017