Ear

Middle ear infections, external ear infections, tinnitus- ringing sound in the ear, torn eardrum, excess wax production affecting hearing, menieres disease-fluid problems in the inner ear.

Pure tone audiometry test to check for the softest sound patient can hear. Weber and rinne test is a bone conduction test using a vibrating tuning fork.Word recognition test(word in noise test) to check the ability of the patients hearing a speech from background noise.  A fluid is detected or wax build up, perforated ear drum, ossicle bone damage or tumors in the middle ear can be detected by Tympanometry test. The carnial nerves and brainstem are evaluated by acoustic reflex testing.

An individual that undergoes loss of hearing, ear infection, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), disorders that affect balance, or pain in the ear and birth defects.

The physician may confirm the infection from the history and physical exam and prescribe an antibiotic and pain medicationsand fever medications if necessary.  To drain the fluid from the middle ear and remove the pus is done sometimes by surgical drainage also knows as tympanostomy. This incision heals in a couple of weeks generally.

Middle ear infections repair by themselves within two or three days, without any particular treatment. An infection may last longer (fluid in the middle ear for 6 weeks or longer), in a few cases even after the treatment by antibiotics.Outer ear infections may last for a week or two. inner ear infections last long often several months.

Ear infections of outer, middle or inner ear, glue ear(common in children) middle part of the ear becomes sticky with a glue like  liquid, ear congestion (also as known as popping)due to cold,flu, sinuses, travel. Foreign object in the ear. Ear wax, tinnitus, mastoiditis, perforated eardrum, Meniere’s disease, otosclerosis(three tiny bones of the ear are affected)

Meningitis, brain abscess and other neurological complications can be a cause of ear infection.

Moxil (amoxicillin)

Augmentin (amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate)

Cortisporin (neomycin/polymxcin b/hydrocortisone) solution or suspension.

Cortisporin TC (colistin/neomycin/thonzonium/hydrocortisone) suspension.

The only eardrops one should use for bacterial infections, are the antibiotics ofloxacin (Floxinotic and generic) or the more pricey combination drug ciprofloxacin-dexamethasone (Ciprode)

A small electronic device which partially restores hearing is the cochlear implant. Cochlear implant surgery is quite common and performed under general anaesthesia. The specialist sometimes shaves the area of hair around the incision site, they make a small incision right behind the ear. The implant is placed beneath the skin and the electrode is inserted within the inner ear as an option when hearing aids do not provide the clarity of sound needed.

Following patients those that:

Adults elder than 18 years with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss.

Severe to profound sensorineural loss inn children aged 2-17 years.

Profound sensorineural loss in children 9-24 months.

People who face issue understanding speech even with apt fitting hearing aids.

Are willing to and have someone to support and help them or close one understand sounds and speech.

Cochlear implants or bone-anchored hearing aids are suggested in few cases. A few types of hearing loss can be repaired with surgery, involving defects of the drum or bones of hearing.

Surgery for sensorineural loss (nerve pathways that connect the inner ear to the brain are damaged)surgery for otosclerosis. Either the part of the stapes(abnormal bone growth in the ears) with the abnormal bone growth is removed in order to insert a tiny implant (stapedotomy), or the entire stapes bone is replaced by a small prosthesis (stapedectomy).

Conductive Hearing Loss

Loss of hearing due to a cause that does not permit sounds from getting through the outer or middle ear.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Loss of hearing which happened because of issues in the way the inner ear or hearing nerve operates.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Loss of hearing that involves a conductive and a sensorineural hearing loss.

Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder

Hearing loss that happens when sound travel to the ear normally, but due to the damage to the inner ear or the hearing nerve, sound is not organized in a way that the brain can understand

Hearing loss can also be described as:

Unilateral or Bilateral

If the loss of hearing is in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral).

Pre-lingual or Post-lingual

Loss of hearing either occurred when an individual learned to talk which means pri-lingual or after a person learned to talk which means post-lingual.

Symmetrical or Asymmetrical

Equal loss of hearing in both ears (symmetrical) or varies in each ear (asymmetrical).

Progressive or Sudden

Loss of hear that gets bad over the time known as progressive or occurs quickly that is sudden.

Fluctuating or Stable

Loss of hearing gets better  with time or worse over time (fluctuating) , and that which stays the same over time is stable.

Congenital or Acquired/Delayed Onset

Loss of hearing since birth that means congenitalor occurs sometime later in life is acquired or delayed onset.

Mild (21–40 dB)

Moderate (41–70 dB)

Severe (71–95 dB)

Profound (95 dB).

The patient will not be able to hear sounds that are softer than the given ranges.

Gleneagles global hospitals, Aster medical tourism hospitals, Fortis hospitals, Apollo Hospitals.