Initially, aggressive drugs are used to treat ear infections, and when medications and conservative approaches fail to provide adequate relief, surgical surgery is used as a final alternative to cure ear infections.
Diagnostic Exams
Before beginning with the treatment, your surgeon may request the following pre-assessment tests:
- Physical Exam: Your surgeon will inspect your ear infection to see if there is any redness or edoema.
- Pneumatic Otoscope: This is a special equipment used by surgeons to identify ear infections.
The pneumatic otoscope allows the clinician to examine the eardrum and detect whether or not fluid is present. They usually notice movement when the doctor blows air softly on the eardrum. There will, however, be fluid if there is fluid the eardrum moves very little to none.
- Tympanometry: This is a test to see how your eardrum moves.
- Acoustic Reflectometry: This test measures the quantity of sound reflected from the eardrum, which is an indirect means of determining the presence of any liquid in the middle ear.
- Tympanocentesis: This test involves inserting a tiny tube into the eardrum to drain fluid, allowing the doctor to assess whether the infection is caused by a virus or bacteria.
Surgeries
Myringoplasty: Myringoplasty is a surgical technique that uses a tissue transplant to repair the eardrum and enhance hearing. It is generally performed on people who do not have an active infection or malignancy in their ears. This process heals any damage caused by previous infections and helps to prevent against future infections ones. Most patients will notice an improvement in their hearing after 6 to 8 weeks of surgery.
Bilateral Myringotomy and Tubes: A bilateral myringotomy and tubes operation is used for those who have chronic fluid buildup in their ears. During this procedure, the surgeon makes a small incision and inserts prosthetic tubes. This aperture serves as an exit path for any liquids to drain away. This technique can be performed as an outpatient procedure, allowing patients to return home shortly after surgery. The tubes spontaneously detach after a few months, and the hole heals on its own.
Tympanoplasty: This ear operation can restore the eardrum, prevent inner ear infections, and aid in hearing recovery. This is an outpatient procedure in which your surgeon will make an incision to reach the eardrum, make an incision behind your ear. A tissue transplant will be used by the surgeon to heal the eardrum.
Mastoidectomy: A surgical incision is used to reach the mastoid, a bone found behind the ear that connects to the middle ear. The mastoid is then cleaned out to help avoid reoccurring ear infections.
Meatoplasty: A meatoplasty is performed when the ear canal has been severely injured. The major goal of this procedure is to remove cartilage from the ear in order to enlarge the canal, therefore correcting it while also allowing it to be cleaned correctly.
