Ventilation tubes in the eardrum – contacts per 1,000 children, 0–16 years
Discussion
Approximately 4 500 procedures involving the insertion of ventilation tubes in the eardrum were performed on children aged 0–16 years in 2025. From 2015 to 2025, the number of procedures and the rate decreased by 25 % and 20 % respectively. During the pandemic, both the rate and the number of procedures declined markedly.
There is considerable geographical variation in the number of procedures. The catchment area of Nord‑Trøndelag Hospital Trust consistently had the highest rate throughout the period, except in 2025, while the catchment areas in Oslo (Oslo University Hospital, Lovisenberg and Diakonhjemmet) consistently had low rates. The procedure was performed more than three times as often in Nord‑Trøndelag as in the Oslo area in every year of the period. This suggests that professional communities do not agree on the appropriate indication for treatment with ventilation tubes. The medical need is assumed to be roughly the same regardless of where in Norway one lives, and the variation is therefore considered unwarranted.
In 2025, 60 % of the procedures were performed on boys. Most procedures are carried out on children aged 2–6 years. The average age at the time of the procedure was slightly above 5 years for girls and just under 5 years for boys.
Some children are treated in private clinics. In 2025, the national share treated privately was 15 %. This proportion varied from 0–60 % across hospital trusts in 2025. There were large differences in the use of private providers between regions. Within regions, there were also differences, except in the Western Norway Regional Health Authority, where the proportion was consistently below 2 %.
The analysis is based on data from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) for specialist healthcare services. The data includes activity in public hospitals, publicly funded private hospitals, and specialists in private practice under public funding contacts.
The sample consists of all contacts (admissions, outpatient consultations, and day treatments) involving the insertion of ear tubes for children in somatic specialist health services, including private contract specialists. The insertion of ear tubes is defined by the procedure code (NCSP) DCA20 for DRG-financed hospitals, and the tariffs K02c, K02d, K02e, or K02g for private contract specialists. The tariff 317b (Paracentesis with ventilation tube) for contract specialists is not included as this procedure is mainly performed on adults.
The place of treatment is divided into three categories:
- Local public, treated at one of the hospitals in the catchment area
- Other public, treated at a public hospital outside the catchment area
- Private, treated by a private hospital or a private specialist
In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the population in 2023 as the reference population.
In graphs with patient‑aggregated data, the numbers are adjusted to avoid double‑counting patients. The actual number of patients is therefore higher when looking at a single variable for a focus area. For example, patients who have received both private and public treatment during a year are counted only once in total, which means that the number of patients in private treatment will be underreported.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.