1st September 2020

A 5-year-old child was brought into the ENT clinic by his mom after being referred by their GP

A 5-year-old child was brought into the ENT clinic by his mom after being referred by their GP. The mother is concerned that her child’s hearing has been deteriorating for the past 8 months, mainly in his right side. The mother denied any other symptoms such as pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and otorrhea. He has a tympanostomy done in his right ear 1 year ago to treat otitis media with effusion. Otherwise, he has a normal birth with vaccinations all up to date. No significant past medical history and family history of note. Physical examination, including otoscopy, revealed no abnormalities except excessive cerumen on the right side. Pure tone audiometry showed right-sided conductive hearing loss. 

Based on the clinical details, what would be the most appropriate first-line management?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.