noun
definition
A thin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and transmits sound from the air to the malleus.
Examples of eardrum in a Sentence
The eardrum heals around them, securing them in place.
Older children or adolescents who try to remove earwax themselves with hair pins or similar objects run the risk of perforating the eardrum or damaging the fragile skin covering the ear canal, causing bleeding and the risk of infection.
An otoscope allows the doctor to look into the ear canal to see the eardrum.
This process can irritate an infected external ear canal and can rupture an eardrum if performed improperly or if the patient moves suddenly.
Sound waves enter the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate.
Some people have a partial eardrum or no ear drum at all.
This is the passage that sound travels along to reach the eardrum.
Because the fluid stops the eardrum moving freely, it can lead to a more serious hearing problem.
The grommets usually fall out themselves any time between a few months to 2 years and this allows the eardrum to heal.
She was noted to have an intact red drum on the right side and a perforated eardrum on the left.
Three small bones (called the ossicles) in the middle ear link the eardrum to the inner ear.
Doctors treating chronic otitis media (or glue ear) often puncture the eardrum on purpose to drain pus from the middle ear.
The middle ear needs to be full of air to let the eardrum and small bones vibrate freely.
Colbert is deaf in his right ear, the result of damage during surgery that was meant to repair a perforated eardrum.
Myringotomy is a surgical procedure in which a small incision is made in the eardrum (the tympanic membrane), usually in both ears.
The ear is washed, a small incision made in the eardrum, the fluid sucked out, a tube inserted, and the ear packed with cotton to control bleeding.
Another technique to keep the incision in the eardrum open without the need for tube insertion is application of a medication called mitomycin C, which was originally developed to treat bladder cancer.
Water should be kept out of the ear canal until the eardrum is intact.
If the procedure is repeated, structural changes in the eardrum can occur, such as loss of tone (flaccidity), shrinkage or retraction, or hardening of a spot on the eardrum (tympanosclerosis).
It is also possible that the incision will not heal properly, leaving a permanent hole in the eardrum, which can cause some hearing loss and increases the risk of infection.
It includes the eardrum, the three little bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that transmit sound to the inner ear, and the eustachian tube, which connects the inner ear to the nasopharynx (the back of the nose).
Tympanic membrane-The eardrum, a thin disc of tissue that separates the outer ear from the middle ear.
The most familiar of this type of testing is the tympanogram, which determines if fluid has built up behind the eardrum.
The eardrum is inflamed with swelling of the ear canal wall.
Myringotomy-A surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the eardrum to allow fluid or pus to escape from the middle ear.
Otoscope-A hand-held instrument with a tiny light and a funnel-shaped attachment called an ear speculum, which is used to examine the ear canal and eardrum.
A perforated eardrum (tympanum perforation) is an opening or rupture in the eardrum (tympanic membrane), the thin membrane that separates the outer ear canal from the middle ear.
A perforated eardrum may be caused by infection, trauma, or negative pressure from underwater diving or an airplane flight.
The eardrum (tympanic membrane) is a thin, semi-transparent membranous wall that stretches across the ear canal and separates the outer ear from the middle ear.
The eardrum vibrates when sound waves travel into the ear canal and strike it.
The middle ear is connected to the nose by the eustachian tube, a narrow channel that runs from the eardrum to the back of the throat.
In addition to conducting sound, the eardrum also protects the middle ear from bacteria and possible infection.
Eardrum perforation caused by a loud noise may result in disturbing ear noise (tinnitus) as well as a temporary hearing loss.
Perforated eardrum occurs commonly in people of all ages; it is especially common in early childhood when children are exposed regularly to colds and upper respiratory infections in their contact with other children.
Middle ear infection, the most frequent cause of perforated eardrum, is the most prevalent reported illness in children between six months and 20 months of age.
Middle ear infection (otitis media) is the most common cause of perforation of the eardrum.
Infection usually stems from an upper respiratory infection in which swelling (edema) in the eustachian tube causes fluid and mucous to gather behind the eardrum.
The resulting congestion builds up pressure behind the eardrum, causing severe pain and spontaneous rupture, which reduces the pain immediately.
The eardrum can also become damaged by direct injury from a foreign object or sudden noise.
Rarely, a small hole may remain in the eardrum after a pressure-equalizing tube (tympanostomy tube) falls out or is removed by a doctor.
This examination makes possible the diagnosis of eardrum perforation by allowing the doctor to see an opening in the eardrum or damage to bones in the middle ear.
Treatment of a perforated eardrum is aimed at relieving pain or pressure behind the eardrum, treating any infection of the ear itself or of the upper respiratory tract, and restoring hearing.
Sometimes the doctor may lance a bulging eardrum and place a tympanostomy tube in it to relieve pain and pressure and allow the ear infection to drain before spontaneous rupture occurs.
Sometimes, a paper patch is placed over the eardrum until the membrane heals.
If the eardrum does not heal on its own, surgical repair (tympanoplasty) may be necessary to resolve the infection and restore hearing.
The ear should be kept clean and dry while the eardrum heals; it may help to insert ear plugs into the ears when showering or shampooing to block any water from getting in.
While a perforated eardrum may be uncomfortable, it usually heals on its own within two months.
A perforated eardrum can be prevented by avoiding insertion of any object into the ear to clean it or to remove earwax (cerumen).
Preventing ear infection is the primary way to prevent a perforated eardrum.
Early treatment of ear infection is another way to guard against a ruptured eardrum and associated hearing loss.