A child with persistent ear effusions and hearing loss should be referred for what type of procedure?

When a child presents with persistent ear effusions and hearing loss, tympanostomy tube placement is the appropriate procedure to consider. This technique involves inserting small tubes into the eardrum to allow air entry and to facilitate fluid drainage from the middle ear. This is particularly effective in cases where fluid buildup leads to recurrent ear infections or chronic effusions, which can impair hearing and speech development in young children.

Persistent ear effusions can significantly affect a child's quality of life and development. By ensuring that the middle ear can ventilate properly, tympanostomy tubes can help restore normal pressure dynamics, improve hearing, and reduce the frequency of ear infections.

While audiometry is important for assessing hearing levels and determining the extent of hearing loss, it does not address the underlying issue of fluid accumulation. Oral antibiotics may be useful for treating active infections but won't resolve the chronic effusion. Similarly, while an adenoidectomy might be necessary in certain circumstances where adenoid enlargement is contributing to ear problems, it is not the first-line treatment for persistent ear effusions on its own. Thus, tympanostomy tube placement is the definitive intervention for this condition.