Articles

Cholesteatomas may be congenital (you may be born with it) or acquired (may develop later in life). Cholesteatomas are essentially cysts formed from the tympanic membrane (ear drum). A pocket is formed in the eardrum, which traps the lining of the drum, allowing for continued growth and expansion of

Ear pain can arise from problems of the ear such as infections, or can be caused by referred pain - pathology from elsewhere in the head and neck that causes pain in the ear without actually having any abnormalities of the ear. Other sources include diseases of the throat (tonsillitis, benign ulcers,

Sensorineural hearing loss is defined as a loss of hearing caused by problems occurring in the inner ear and auditory (hearing) nerve. Causes may include aging, genetic-associated loss (hereditary), noise exposure or noise trauma, infections, congenital syndromes, inflammatory or auto-immune diseases,

Otitis externa is an inflammation of the outer ear and ear canal. It is most commonly infectious, although it can be caused by inflammation or dermatitis (allergic reaction of the skin). Infections are most commonly bacterial, but may be fungal. Infections may be caused or worsened by water exposure,

Acute otitis media is an infection of the middle ear - the usually air-filled space between the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and the bone of the inner ear. Most infections will resolve without treatment or with oral antibiotics, while a small percentage will not improve with conservative treatment and

Otosclerosis is a disorder of the bone around the stapes, the third of the ossicles - the hearing bones of the middle ear. The bone around the base of the stapes becomes hardened and fixed, preventing the normal motion of the stapes in response to sound waves, resulting in a conductive hearing loss.

Tinnitus describes any abnormal sound heard in the ear. Tinnitus may be described as a high or low pitch, ringing, roaring, buzzing, humming, cricket-like, or pulsating, among various other descriptions. Tinnitus is most commonly caused by hearing loss, but may have multiple other causes - wax build-up,

A tympanic membrane perforation is a hole in the eardrum. It may occur as a result of trauma to the eardrum, an acute infection, chronic infection, or a cholesteatoma. Some perforations will heal on their own without treatment (usually those that have resulted from trauma or acute infection), while others