Rupture of the tympanic membrane: causes and consequences

A ruptured eardrum is a mechanical damage to a thin tissue that separates the auditory canal and the middle ear. As a result of such a trauma, a person can completely or partially lose his hearing. In addition, without natural protection, the middle ear remains vulnerable to infections and other physical injuries. As a rule, a hole or a breakthrough in the tympanic membrane grows on its own for several weeks, and no treatment is required. In difficult cases, doctors prescribe special procedures or a surgical procedure to ensure normal healing of the wound.

Symptoms of

Symptoms of rupture of the tympanic membrane are as follows:

• Pain in the ear that can start abruptly and abruptly disappear.
• Transparent, purulent or spotting from the ear.
• Hearing loss. Ringing in the ear( tinnitus).Dizziness( vertigo).
• Nausea or vomiting as a result of dizziness.

When to call a doctor

Make an appointment with a health center or health center if you find yourself experiencing symptoms of rupture or small damage to the eardrum, or if you feel pain or discomfort in your ears. The middle ear, like the inner ear, consists of very fragile fragments and is vulnerable to diseases and injuries. Timely adequate treatment is of paramount importance for the maintenance of normal hearing.

Reasons for

The main causes of rupture of the tympanic membrane can be combined into the following list:

• Middle ear infection( otitis media).As a result of the infectious disease in the middle ear, fluid accumulates, which exerts excessive pressure on the tympanic membrane and thereby causes damage to it.
• Barotrauma is a damage caused by a strong tension of a thin tissue, provoked by the difference in pressure in the middle ear and in the environment. Too strong pressure can tear the eardrum. With barotrauma, the so-called syndrome of ears is closely connected, which affects practically all passengers of air transport. Differential pressure is also characteristic for scuba diving. In addition, any direct impact in the ear is potentially dangerous, even if such a blow produced an activated airbag in the car.
• Low sounds and explosions( acoustic trauma).The rupture of the tympanic membrane, the symptoms of which will be evident in the blink of an eye, often occurs under the influence of too loud sounds( explosions, shooting).An excessively powerful sound wave can seriously damage the delicate structure of the ears.
• Foreign objects in the ear. Small objects like a cotton swab or a hair clip can pierce and even rupture the eardrum.
• Severe head injury. Craniocerebral injuries cause dislocation and damage to the structure of the middle and inner ear, including rupture of the tympanic membrane. The head can crack a head, this circumstance often serves as a prerequisite for a breakthrough in a thin tissue.

Complications of

The tympanum performs two main functions:

• Rumor. When sound waves beat on the membrane, it begins to vibrate. The structures of the middle and inner ear recognize these vibrations and translate sound waves into nerve impulses.
• Protection. The tympanic membrane also acts as a natural protective barrier, preventing the middle ear from getting there water, bacteria and other foreign substances.

In case of trauma, complications can occur both during the healing process and in case the tympanic membrane can not be incised completely. Potentially possible:

• Hearing loss. As a rule, the hearing disappears only for a while, until the hole in the tympanic membrane disappears by itself. However, many patients of otorhinolaryngologists note a noticeable decrease in hearing quality even after the full overgrowth of the breakthrough. Much depends on the location and size of the wound.
• Middle ear infection( otitis media).A ruptured eardrum in a child or adult facilitates access of bacteria to the inside of the auditory canal. If the tissue does not heal itself, and the patient does not seek medical help, there is a high risk of developing non-treatable( chronic) infectious diseases, which can ultimately lead to complete hearing loss.
• Cyst of the middle ear( cholesteatoma).Cholesteatoma, or pearl tumor, is a cyst consisting of skin cells and necrotic tissue. If the tympanic membrane is damaged, dead skin cells and other organic debris can enter the middle ear and form a cyst. Cholesteatoma provides a favorable environment for the propagation of harmful bacteria and contains proteins that can weaken the bones of the middle ear.

Before visiting a doctor

When you think that you have a ruptured eardrum, the symptoms allow you to accurately judge the presence of injury. If the quality of hearing noticeably decreased, sign up for a consultation with a specialist. You can first visit the therapist, but to save time it is recommended to go to the otorhinolaryngologist immediately.

Before visiting a specialist, it is advisable to think about what you are going to tell about your illness. To forget nothing, record key information in writing. It is advisable to describe in detail:

• you are troubled by symptoms, including those that you do not think are related to eardrum damage and are not related to hearing loss, watery discharge and other typical signs of trauma;
• recent cases from your life that could cause damage to the ear, including infectious diseases, sports injuries, travel by air;
• medicines, including vitamin-mineral complexes and biologically active nutritional supplements, which you are taking at the moment;
• questions to ask the doctor.

If you suspect a rupture of the eardrum during otitis or stroke, think about asking the otorhinolaryngologist the following questions:

• Is my eardrum ruptured?
• If not, why did my hearing deteriorate and other symptoms of disturbance occur?
• If the tympanic membrane is damaged, what should I do to protect my ear from possible infections during the process of its natural healing?
• Do I need to re-record for an appointment so you can check how well the tissue has healed?
• When will it be necessary to consider the question of the appointment of specific methods of treatment?

Feel free to ask other questions to the specialist.

What the

doctor will say, in turn, will ask the following:

• When did you first notice the symptoms of an injury?
• The rupture of ear drum is often accompanied by pain syndrome and characteristic dizziness. Have you noticed similar signs of tissue damage? How quickly did they pass?
• Have you transferred infectious diseases of the ears?
• Have you been exposed to too loud sounds?
• Have you been swimming in a natural pond or swimming pool lately? Did they scuba dive?
• Have you traveled recently by airplane?
• When was the last time you suffered a head injury?
• How do you clean your ears? Do you use any items for cleaning?

Before consulting

If the appointment time for an otorhinolaryngologist has not yet come up, and you suspect that you have a rupture of the tympanic membrane from a stroke, treatment on your own initiative should not begin. Better take all possible measures to prevent infectious diseases of the ear. Try to keep your ears clean and dry, refrain from swimming, make sure that water does not get inside the ear when swimming in the bath or taking a shower. To protect the damaged ear during water procedures, each time insert elastic waterproof silicone ear plugs or a cotton ball soaked in Vaseline.

Do not use any ear drops purchased at the pharmacy at your own discretion;medicines can be prescribed only by a doctor and only for the treatment of infectious diseases associated with damage to the tympanic membrane.

Diagnosis

To determine the presence and extent of damage, the ENT usually visually examines the ear using a special instrument with a backlight - an otoscope. If, at a superficial examination, it is not possible to pinpoint the cause or extent of the rupture, the doctor may prescribe additional diagnostic examinations, including:

• . Laboratory tests. If you notice a discharge from a damaged ear, the otorhinolaryngologist will most likely prescribe a laboratory test or culture of the discharge pattern to determine the type of infection that has hit the middle ear.
• Hearing evaluation with a tuning fork. The tuning forks are two-tooth metal tools that produce sound when struck. A simple examination with their help will allow the doctor to diagnose hearing loss. In addition, the use of a tuning fork allows you to determine what caused the hearing loss: damage to the vibrating parts of the middle ear( including the tympanic membrane), traumatizing the receptors or nerves of the inner ear, or all together.
• Timpanometry. A tympanometer is a device that is placed in the auditory canal to assess the response of the tympanic membrane to minor changes in air pressure. Certain patterns of reaction may indicate a rupture of the tympanic membrane, the symptoms of which in some cases do not even cause particular concern to the patient.
• Surdological examination. If other tests and tests have not yielded significant results, the doctor will prescribe a surdological examination, which means a series of rigorously tested tests conducted in a soundproof cabin to assess the patient's perception of sounds of varying loudness and at different frequencies.

Treatment of

If you are diagnosed with a normal, uncomplicated rupture of the tympanic membrane, the consequences are likely to be most favorable: in the worst case, you will only experience a slight hearing loss from the affected party. If there are signs of infection, the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic in the form of ear drops( "Otypaks", "Sofraks", "Otinum").If the breakthrough does not grow on its own, you may have to resort to special procedures to ensure the complete healing of the tympanic membrane. ENT can appoint:

• Imposition of a special plaster on the eardrum. This is a fairly simple procedure, in which the doctor treats the edges of the rupture with a substance that stimulates the growth of cells, and glues the damage with a special material serving as a kind of plaster for injured tissue. Most likely, you will have to repeat this action several times before the eardrum finally heals.
• Surgical operation. If the application of the patch does not help, or the doctor seriously doubts that a simple procedure will help heal the rupture of the eardrum, he will recommend you treatment through surgical intervention. Most often, an operation called tympanoplasty is performed. The surgeon will make a cut over the ear, extract a tiny patch of tissue and close the gap in the eardrum. This is a simple operation, and most patients return home on the same day.

At home

It is not always necessary to consult a specialist for medical advice and diagnosis. Many people with the diagnosis of "rupture of the tympanic membrane" treatment consists only in protecting the injured ear from new injuries and in preventing possible infections. The process of self-healing takes several weeks. Regardless of whether you applied to the otorhinolaryngologist or not, take all possible measures to protect the damaged ear from complications. Doctors recommend the following rules:

• Keep your ear dry. Each time you take a bath or shower, insert a waterproof silicone ear plug or cotton ball soaked in petroleum jelly into your outer ear.
• Refrain from cleaning. Do not use any substances or objects to clean the ears, even if they are specifically designed for this purpose. Give your eardrum time for complete healing.
• Do not blow your nose. The pressure created when blowing out, can damage an already injured tissue.

Prevention

To prevent the rupture of the eardrum, adhere to the following recommendations:

• timely treat infectious diseases of the middle ear;
• provide adequate protection for your ears while traveling by air;
• avoid cleaning the ears with foreign objects, including cotton swabs and paper clips;
• wear earphones or ear plugs if your work is associated with excessive loud noise.

Following these simple tips will protect your tympanum from damage.