Glue Ear and the Grommet: Who needs it?
Is Glue ear even a thing? Do you really have glue in your ear ?Is that a problem? How do you get the glue out ?
It sounds strange right to have glue inside your ear, but that’s what happens in some children and adults. It’s a condition where there is a chronic accumulation of mucus(glue) in the middle ear and the mastoid air cell(the bone behind your ear) system.
Its also called serous otitis media, secretory otitis media, mucinous otitis media, glue ear, blue drum, catarrh of the middle ear.
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It’s very common in children zero to two years and can follow:
Earache and acute otitis media
Viral upper respiratory infection without earche.
Both can cause damage to the eustachian tube and retained middle ear fluids.
It can be associated with eustachian tube dysfunction, Adenoids, cleft palate(even after repair), parental smoking, allergies, and Gastro-esophageal reflux.
Its difficult to understand whether the child is hearing well at this age and its often a smart parent who notices the first symptom of decreased hearing. If a child or an adult has persistent heaviness or blocked ear with decreased hearing( most commonly conductive type), with popping sound in ear, it’s often a case of otitis media with effusion .
Diagnosis involves
An otoscopy at your ENT doctor
Pneumatic otoscopy to check mobility of thee ar drum
A Free field audiometry/Behavioural audiometry
OtoAcoustic emission
Pure Tone audiometry in children above 5 years age
Serial tympanometry where a flat B type curve indicates
Other Tests needed
Xray nose and PNS
Xray nasopharynx lateral view.
Glue ear treatment: How will the Glue ear get better?
Counseling to help parents cope better with the condition.It is a condition with a good spontaneous recovery rate. But we need the child to be in a regular follow up and parents need to be aware. If the hearing loss affects speech or schooling then other management may be needed.
Medical management which may include intranasal steroids or antibiotics
Grommet or Ventilation tubes: Let the ear breathe!
If the fluid doesn’t get dried up itself, a small slit is made in the eardrum, called Myringotomy and the fluid /glue aspirated. A small ventilation tube/grommet is inserted, which helps to create a pathway for the fluid to drain.
Once the liquid is drained, the grommet pops out. The procedure is called Myringotomy and grommet insertion, and sometimes Myringotomy may be done without grommet insertion.
Sometimes following grommet insertion, a persistent perforation can be a complication.
A myringotomy and aspiration may not improve hearing. But the grommet insertion does improve hearing levels. The effect is better with adenoidectomy, in someone with enlarged adenoids blocking the eustachian tubes. For children, this needs General anesthesia.
Do adults have Glue Ear?
Yes they can .They too will have decreased hearing,popping sound inear ,occasional mild earache,ringing sound in ear
Did you ever have a glue ear? Have you ever had your ear popping? Let me know in the comments below.
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