Objectives: To explore the correlation between the posterior airway space (PAS) in children with adenoid hypertrophy and the acoustic impedance test indicators, in order to provide a reference for clinical assessment of middle ear dysfunction in these children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 160 children diagnosed with adenoid hypertrophy in the otolaryngology department of our hospital from January 2024 to January 2025. They were divided into 4 groups based on the PAS value (Grade 1: >12 mm, Grade 2: 8-12 mm, Grade 3: 5-8 mm, Grade 4: ≤5 mm), with 40 cases in each group. All underwent acoustic impedance testing, and the middle ear pressure, compliance, and distribution of the tympanogram were compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic value. Results: There was no significant difference in the general data among the 4 groups ( P > .05); as the PAS grade increased, the average absolute value of middle ear pressure increased (Grade 1: −3.48 ± 20.01 daPa, Grade 4: −124.03 ± 84.92 daPa, P < .001), the average compliance decreased (Grade 1: 0.68 ± 0.09 mL, Grade 4: 0.23 ± 0.04 mL, P < .001), the proportion of type B and C tympanogram increased ( P < .01); the area under the curve (AUC) of type B and C tympanogram were 0.654 and 0.650 respectively ( P < .01). Conclusions: PAS was significantly correlated with the impedance index. The smaller the PAS value (indicating a more severe degree of adenoid hypertrophy), the more obvious the middle ear dysfunction.
Qian et al. (2026) studied this question.