Use of IOOG Classification to Categorize Middle Ear Surgery in Children: Evaluation After 5 Months of Use in 119 Consecutive Pediatric Middle Ear Surgeries

Introduction: SAMEO-ATO classification is an international consensual tool published in 2018. In order to evaluate the ease of use and reliability of this classification in pediatric otologic surgery, a retrospective study was conducted in our tertiary referral center. Method: We began to use IOOG classification in September 2018, after a 15-day testing period. In this monocentric retrospective study, we reviewed the classification and the operative charts of all the pediatric middle ear surgeries after the first 5 months of use. Each classification was carefully re-checked by a junior and senior surgeon. In parallel, all the surgeons involved received a questionnaire to evaluate the ease of use, with a score from 1 (very difficult) to 5 (very easy). Results: From September 2018 to February 2019, the tool was used for 119 pediatric surgeries, involving 13 surgeons. The indications for surgery were tympanic membrane perforations (28/119, 23.5%), retraction pockets (36/119, 30.3%), cholesteatoma first procedures (13/119, 10.9%), cholesteatoma revision procedures (41/119, 34.5%) and temporal bone fracture (1/119, 0.8%). All surgical procedures performed could be classified with the ATO-SAMEO classification. We found misclassification in 29/119 cases (24%), 79% of which concerning ATO items. Of the 8 SAMEO-ATO categories in 119 surgeries, the error rate was 4.5% (49/952). Surgeons reported a mean score of use of 4 (quite easy). Conclusion: The easy-to-use SAMEO-ATO classification is well suited for pediatric otology and to the categorization of surgical procedures. However, in a multi-user context, misclassifications were observed in up to a quarter of cases during the first months of use. Carefully anticipated explanations and guidelines given to surgeons should ensure an optimal quality of rating.