What is the repair of the ear drum?
The repair of the ear drum or tympanoplasty is a surgery to repair the damaged ear drum. The ear drum, known as the tympanic membrane, is an important part of the ear. Damage to this structure may result in hearing loss, recurring ears and other problems. This procedure can be recommended for the treatment of a number of different conditions. It is performed by a specialist in the ear, nose and neck (ENT). The ear drum can be perforated due to chronic infections, trauma, congenital conditions or the location of drainage used to treat infections. Doctors usually recommend waiting and see access for perforations, but if it turns out that the ear drum cannot heal separately, the repairs of the ear drum must be considered an option. Another reason to perform this surgery is a condition known as a pocket of pulling. In people with retracting pockets, the pressure increases inside the ear and pulls the ear drum out of the position. This in turn leads to damage that causes hearing loss.
Depending on the patient and specifics of the procedure, ENT may recommend local or general anesthesia for repairing the ear drum. In participating procedures and young patients, the general is preferred because the patient is completely immobile. In simple procedures and cooperative patients, local anesthesia may be sufficient to master pain in the surgical area. The surgeon uses various tools to enter the ear to repair the ear drum.
After repairing the ear drum, the ear will be wrapped with a wound dressing that will be regularly removed and checked. Patients must maintain water outside the ears, avoiding nose blowing hard and delaying physical exertion several days after surgery. This gives the ear a chance to heal before the ear drum is exposed to stress. The surgeon can provide advice on when the patient can be active again, based on the earnings in the ear and the complexity of the repair of the ear drum.
If the ear drum is repaired in time, PACacer may not experience lasting symptoms such as hearing loss, due to a problem that required repair. In other cases it is possible to arrest hearing loss, but not reverse it. Fast identification and intervention are decisive to prevent continuous damage when hearing problems develop.