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  3. Every year more than half a million American kids have drainage tubes surgically implanted in their ears to combat persistent in

Every year more than half a million American kids have drainage tubes surgically implanted in their ears to combat persistent in

admin2010-03-25  71
问题    Every year more than half a million American kids have drainage tubes surgically implanted in their ears to combat persistent infections. The procedure, known as tympanostomy, may not be as common as the tonsillectomy was in the 1940s, but it now ranks as the nation’s leading childhood operation and a new study suggests it’s being vastly overused. In reviewing more than 6,000 scheduled ear tube operations, a team of experts led by Harvard pediatrician Lawrence Kleinman found that fewer than half were clearly justified. "Each year," the researchers write in the current Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), "several hundred thousand children in the United States may be receiving tympanostomy tubes that offer them no demonstrated advantage ... and may place them at increased risk."
   Tube placement isn’t a terribly risky procedure, but it costs $1,000 to $1,500 and sometimes scars the eardrum, causing a partial loss of hearing. Studies show that the benefits are most likely to outweigh the risks if a child’s middle ear has produced sticky fluid for more than four months despite treatment with antibiotics. For less virulent infections, drug treatment is usually a cheaper, safer alternative (though drugs, too, can be overused). In the new JAMA study, Kleinman’s team reviewed the medical charts of 6,429 kids, all under 16, whose doctors had recommended the procedure. Even making "generous assumptions" about the likely benefits, the researchers found that a quarter of the proposed operations were inappropriate, since less invasive alternatives were available, while another third were as likely to harm the recipients as help them.
   Parents needn’t panic about ear tubes that are already in place. Once successfully implanted, the tiny devices provide drainage for six months to a year, then come out by reducing health costs by hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
The Harvard study has concluded that ______.
选项 A、children never benefit from ear surgery.
B、tympanostomy tubes result in deafness.
C、some surgeons are too eager to operate.
D、ear tube operations are too expensive.
答案C
解析 根据Kleinman医生的调查，“．．．it’s being vastly overused”，而且“．．．fewer than half were clearly justified．”由此看来，有些医生是过于急着动此手术。A说儿童从未从耳朵手术中得益，这似乎不太正确。B说该手术会导致耳聋，原文中只是说有时会如此。D说耳道手术太昂贵，实际上文中只提到该手术要花费1 000至1 500美元，并未对此进行评论。
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