EARS
Hearing and balance are critical to how we conduct our daily lives. We treat conditions such as ear infections, hearing loss, dizziness, ringing in the ears (called tinnitus), ear, face, or neck pain, and more.
EAR CONDITION:
BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO (BPPV)
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, is the most common inner ear problem and cause of vertigo, or false sense of spinning.
EAR CONDITION:
CHOLESTEATOMA
Cholesteatoma is an abnormal skin growth or skin cyst trapped behind the eardrum, or the bone behind the ear.
EAR CONDITION:
CONDUCTIVE HEARING LOSS
Hearing loss can be broadly separated into two categories: conductive and sensorineural (damage to tiny hair cells in the inner ear). Conductive hearing loss results when there is any problem in delivering sound energy to your cochlea, the hearing part in the inner ear.
EAR CONDITION:
EARACHES
Earaches can be due to a problem with the ear or structures close to the ear. The pain may be dull, sharp, or burning and can occur in one or both ears. It may be constant or come and go.
EAR CONDITION:
EARS & ALTITUDE
Ear problems are one of the most common medical complaints of airplane travelers and divers.
EAR CONDITION:
EAR WAX
(CERUMEN IMPACTION)
Earwax, called cerumen, is produced by special wax-forming glands located in the skin of the outer one-third of the ear canal.
EAR CONDITION:
MÉNIÈRE'S DISEASE
Ménière’s disease (also called idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops) is one of the most common causes of dizziness originating in the inner ear.
EAR CONDITION:
OTITIS MEDIA
(MIDDLE EAR INFECTION)
Otitis media is an infection of the middle ear, the air-filled space behind the eardrum that contains the tiny vibrating bones of the ear. An ear tube is used most often to provide long-term drainage and ventilation to middle ears that have had persistent fluid buildup, chronic middle ear infections or frequent infections.
Otitis Media
An ear infection (otitis media) is an infection of the middle ear, the air-filled space behind the eardrum that contains the tiny vibrating bones of the ear. Children are more likely than adults to get ear infections.
Because ear infections often clear up on their own, treatment may begin with managing pain and monitoring the problem. Sometimes, antibiotics are used to clear the infection. Some people are prone to having multiple ear infections. This can cause hearing problems and other serious complications.
What are the symptoms of otitis media?
The onset of signs and symptoms of ear infection is usually rapid.
Children
Signs and symptoms common in children include:
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Ear pain, especially when lying down
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Tugging or pulling at an ear
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Trouble sleeping
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Crying more than usual
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Fussiness
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Trouble hearing or responding to sounds
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Loss of balance
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Fever of 100 F (38 C) or higher
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Drainage of fluid from the ear
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Headache
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Loss of appetite
Adults
Common signs and symptoms in adults include:
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Ear pain
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Drainage of fluid from the ear
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Trouble hearing
What causes otitis media?
An ear infection is caused by a bacterium or virus in the middle ear. This infection often results from another illness — cold, flu or allergy — that causes congestion and swelling of the nasal passages, throat and eustachian tubes.
Role of eustachian tubes
The eustachian tubes are a pair of narrow tubes that run from each middle ear to high in the back of the throat, behind the nasal passages. The throat end of the tubes open and close to:
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Regulate air pressure in the middle ear
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Refresh air in the ear
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Drain normal secretions from the middle ear
Swollen eustachian tubes can become blocked, causing fluids to build up in the middle ear. This fluid can become infected and cause the symptoms of an ear infection.
In children, the eustachian tubes are narrower and more horizontal, which makes them more difficult to drain and more likely to get clogged.
Role of adenoids
Adenoids are two small pads of tissues high in the back of the nose believed to play a role in immune system activity.
Because adenoids are near the opening of the eustachian tubes, swelling of the adenoids may block the tubes. This can lead to middle ear infection. Swelling and irritation of adenoids is more likely to play a role in ear infections in children because children have relatively larger adenoids compared to adults.
What are the treatment options?
If your child has repeated, long-term ear infections (chronic otitis media) or continuous fluid buildup in the ear after an infection cleared up (otitis media with effusion), your child's doctor may suggest this procedure.
During an outpatient surgical procedure called a myringotomy, your surgeon creates a tiny hole in the eardrum that enables us to suction fluids out of the middle ear. A tiny tube (tympanostomy tube) is placed in the opening to help ventilate the middle ear and prevent the buildup of more fluids. Some tubes are intended to stay in place for six months to a year and then fall out on their own. Other tubes are designed to stay in longer and may need to be surgically removed.
The eardrum usually closes up again after the tube falls out or is removed.
EAR CONDITION:
OTOSCLEROSIS
Otosclerosis describes a condition of abnormal bone growth around one of the three small bones in the middle ear space called the “stapes.”
EAR CONDITION:
SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) happens when there is damage to tiny hair cells in the cochlear and/or the auditory nerve.
EAR CONDITION:
SWIMMER'S EAR
Swimmer’s ear (also called acute otitis externa) is a painful condition that affects the outer ear and ear canal that is caused by infection, inflammation, or irritation.
EAR CONDITION:
TINNITUS
Over 50 million Americans have experienced tinnitus, or ringing in ears, which is the perception of sound without an external source being present.