Most people know that otitis media is caused by pus in the ear, so does it mean that you won’t get otitis media if your ear doesn’t bleed? No! Any inflammation that occurs in the middle ear cavity within the eardrum is called otitis media. If the eardrum is perforated and pus flows out, it is purulent otitis media. If the eardrum is intact, the bacteria are less virulent, and secretions accumulate in the middle ear cavity, it is secretory otitis media, also called catarrhal otitis media. Let’s learn more about this disease.
I. Why do I get secretory otitis media?
In the article “How Much Do You Know About the Ear – Anatomy of the Ear”, we have learned that the ear is divided into the outer, middle and inner ear. Its most important function is to maintain the pressure balance between the middle ear cavity and the outside. When the eustachian tube is not open due to a cold or other reasons, the air in the middle ear cavity will be gradually absorbed by the body and the ear will start to become stuffy and even accumulate fluid.
As you can see from the diagram below, the eustachian tube is wider, shorter and straighter in children, while in adults it is narrower, longer and more oblique. In elementary school children, the physiological enlargement of the adenoids at the back of the nose can block the opening of the eustachian tube at the nose, which can also lead to this disease. In adults, in addition to the most common cold, those with recurrent attacks should be alert to the possibility of nasopharyngeal cancer, a tumor of the nasopharynx!
Second, what are the symptoms of having secretory otitis media?
In small children, because they cannot express it, the first thing parents notice is that their child fails the hearing screening or is not responsive to sound.
In children, some will tell their parents that they can’t hear the sound themselves, while others will notice that their parents don’t say yes when called or that the TV is playing louder than before when watching TV.
In adults, the first thing you notice is stuffy ears and hearing loss. It’s like having cotton in your ears, or like having water in your ears from a bath, and it’s so uncomfortable. It’s like you’re being kept inside a drum, but you can’t get out of it, and you can’t hear others clearly, so you need to speak loudly or repeatedly to hear them. There are also many patients with ear pain, tinnitus and other discomforts.
Treatment of secretory otitis media
1.I have otitis media, so upset and uncomfortable, doctor, what should I do?
Don’t worry, first of all, we have to see what causes it. If it is caused by inflammation, anti-inflammatory drugs and mucus promoters can be applied to make the inflammation subside and secretions discharged.
Attention! The onset of the disease is on the inside of the tympanic membrane, and the tympanic membrane is intact, so at this time, any ear drops will be blocked by the tympanic membrane on the outside and will not play an anti-inflammatory role!
2. Can all otitis media be cured by drugs? How long will it take to heal?
I can only tell you that most patients can be cured, but as to whether you can be cured and how long you can be cured, this can only be seen while you are being treated. The medication is the preferred treatment option because it saves money and doesn’t involve surgery! During the treatment, if you can be good with your medication, quit smoking and drinking, keep warm and avoid catching a cold, your chances of being cured will be greatly increased. It is best if you can blow balloons, chew gum, pinch your nose and puff, these actions can effectively promote the opening of the eustachian tube and promote the recovery of the disease, which is the favorite of children and a good time for adults to strengthen parent-child communication!
3.When do I need surgery? How to do surgery?
Most patients can recover through medication, if the standard conservative treatment for two months, there is still no sign of improvement, sorry to inform you that you need to be hospitalized for surgery. The surgery is usually done in hospital for one week, under general anesthesia for children and local anesthesia for adults.
The surgery is simple. A small incision is made in the tympanic membrane to drain the fluid inside, and then a ventilation tube is placed in the tympanic membrane to facilitate drainage of the fluid inside the ear, while keeping the pressure inside and outside the middle ear consistent and promoting the recovery of the eustachian tube function. If the tympanic membrane is only punctured to extract fluid or if the tympanic membrane is simply incised, the tympanic membrane is very capable of healing, and after healing, the tympanic membrane will return to the level before the onset of the disease, and fluid will easily reappear. The result of the surgery was great. After the surgery, I immediately felt better about my ears, that’s for sure!
Isn’t the surgery very easy? Do you think you can do it all by yourself? Don’t! Ear surgery is very delicate and is performed under a microscope. If you are not careful, it can cause bleeding and damage to the ear canal, and in serious cases, it can cause a large perforation of the eardrum, and even pus in the ear and severe deafness! Surgery is not a one-day job, so it is safer to let us operate!
4.What are the precautions after the surgery? How long do I have to wear the tubes?
After the surgery, the money is spent, the pain is suffered, but the cure is not over, if you do not pay attention to the following points, you may lose all your work.
(1) No water in the ear! After the surgery, there are holes and tubes in the eardrum, if water enters the ear, the sewage will enter the middle ear along the ventilation tube, leading to middle ear infection and pus, which is absolutely worse! So, usually, you should wash your hair and take a bath to block your ears, and you definitely can’t go swimming or diving. If there is pus in the ear, you must go to the hospital as soon as possible.
(2) Avoid colds! A cold may cause a recurrence of otitis media, or a combination of purulent otitis media. Some people say that I can’t control a cold, but I can only say that you should try to control it.
(3) Don’t pull out your ears! After surgery, itching and foreign body sensation may occur in the ear, which is normal. You should not take a cotton swab to pull out your ear. Blindly pulling out your ear may bring out the ventilation tube on the eardrum, or worse, it may push the ventilation tube into the middle ear cavity and fall deeper into the ear, which will require another surgery to remove it.
(4) Do you dare to be active? Most patients will have no problems, and regular checkups at the hospital will be fine.
The middle ear ventilation tube should be worn for three months to six months, and regular follow-up visits to the clinic are required to check the function of the eustachian tube. If the function has been restored, the tube can be removed and the eardrum will heal on its own. If the function is not restored, the tube should be worn continuously, even for life.
5.What will happen if I don’t have the surgery?
If surgery is not performed and treatment is delayed, the secretions in the ear will turn from thin water to sticky glue, commonly known as “glue ear”. If surgery is not performed in a timely manner, the tympanic membrane will become more invaginated and stick to the wall inside the ear chamber. If surgery is not performed, the tympanic membrane will continue to invaginate and lose the elasticity of the tympanic membrane, and even invaginate to form a cholesteatoma, destroying the auditory bone, facial nerve and other structures. Since the function of the eustachian tube has not been restored in time, even if a major surgery costing more than 20,000 yuan is done at this time, it is very easy for problems such as invagination of the tympanic membrane, poor healing of the tympanic membrane and recurrence of cholesteatoma to occur again after surgery. At this time, it is difficult to recover from the surgery! So, see a doctor before it’s too late!!! Before it’s too late!!!