Otitis media is one of the most common childhood ailments and, therefore, has a significant impact on the public healthcare expenditure. The initial diagnosis is usually performed by a primary-care physician and is based upon otoscopy and symptomatology; the certainty of diagnosis of acute otitis media is only 58–73%. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a spectrophotometer-based system in identifying otitis media by comparing the output from the system with the clinical diagnosis of an experienced otologist, and hence to evaluate the system as a diagnostic aid to primary-care physicians. The study was prospective and double blind. An otologist examined 258 patients consecutively with an oto-microscope, and all of the patients were simultaneously examined with a spectrometer-based data acquisition system incorporated in a standard otoscope. The otologist’s diagnosis served as a "gold standard". The acquired data were analysed by means of Partial Least Squares Regression. The system correctly differentiated acute otitis media from serous otitis media and normal ears with sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 88%. The sensitivity and specificity were 89 and 95%, respectively, in a subset of subjects aged 12 y or less. Spectrophotometry was found to be a highly accurate means of diagnosing acute otitis media. We consider that it will become an important diagnostic aid for primary care physicians.

Keywords: spectrophotometry, otitis media, otoscope, NIR, visible