Search strategy and evidence selection

Advice

Medline and Embase search strategy

1. exp otitis media/

2. (glue and ear).tw.

3. (otitis adj media).mp. or (glue adj ear).tw. [mp=ti, ab, hw, tn, ot, dm, mf, dv, kw, nm, kf, px, rx, an, ui]

4. exp middle ear/

5. (SOM or OME).tw.

6. ((secretory or serous) adj otitis).tw.

7. (middle and ear*).mp. or (eustachian and tube*).tw. [mp=ti, ab, hw, tn, ot, dm, mf, dv, kw, nm, kf, px, rx, an, ui]

8. middle ear ventilation/

9. aeration/

10. valsalva maneuver/

11. (autoinflat* or ((auot or ear* or ME or air) and (inflat* or aerat*))).tw.

12. ((nose or nasal) and balloon).tw.

13. valsalva.tw.

14. (insufflat* or popper).tw.

15. (open* or eustachian*).tw.

16. otovent.tw.

17. exp ear disease/

18. 6 and 17

19. 4 and 7

20. 18 and 19

21. 1 or 2 or 3 or 5 or 20

22. 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or 12 or 13 or 14 or 15 or 16

23. 21 and 22

24. (balloon or otovent).tw.

25. 21 and 24

Cochrane Library search strategy

Search date: 25/11/2015 15:18:30.500

#1 otovent (Word variations have been searched)

#2 balloon and (otitis or (glue adj ear)) (Word variations have been searched)

#3 autoinflation and (otitis or (glue adj ear))

#4 #1 or #2 or #3

The inclusion criteria were as follows:

Population: adults and children with chronic otitis media.
Intervention: Otovent nasal balloon.
Comparator: surgery (grommets), hearing aid, adenoidectomy, watchful waiting, other methods of autoinflation.
Outcomes: tympanometric resolution, audiometry, adverse effects, quality of life, days with hearing loss/earache, pain, days requiring pain relief, sleep disturbance, days off school.
Study design: randomised controlled trial.
Non‑English language studies were excluded.