Middle Ear Surgery: A Comprehensive Guide to Procedures And Recovery

Middle Ear Surgery is a complex procedure that includes tests, medications, and post-operative care of the patient. This delicate procedure is performed in rare cases of hearing loss and other chronic infections. There are genetic abnormalities also which can also lead to operating the middle ear.

There is a complex procedure of assessment, preparation, and surgical process. A mere mistake in the proceedings can result in other abnormalities. For Middle Ear Surgery, it is necessary to maintain good health and keep consulting with an expert ENT specialist.

Indications for middle ear surgery

Every problem or any disease gives its pre-indications and they are alarming situations that can not be ignored. Such few problems and their indications are as follows :

• Hearing loss because of ear ossicles.
• Sever infections that are not responding to treatment.
• Extra growth of any tissue.
• Infection of middle ear bones.
• Perforated or damaged eardrum
• Unnecessary sound or hearing problems.

The Procedure of Diagnosis

This is the first step for any surgery which is not necessarily bound to the procedure but further proceedings can be continued after the diagnosis of a particular problem. As a step medical history of the patient is read carefully. All the symptoms and diagnostic test is done by the doctor.

Some of the diagnosis tests in middle ear surgery are Audiometry, Tympanometry, and other magnetic imagining tests like CT scans. They help to know well about middle ear problems. There are certain factors on which middle ear conditions are analyzed. These factors are the presence of a fluid matrix in the middle part of the ear, the position of the ear (bones), and conditions of the eardrum.

Preparation for surgery

Before surgery procedure, the patient has to undergo a detailed evaluation during which physical examination, blood reporting, and other diagnosis takes place. These diagnoses help to know more about the body of the patient and its capability to adjust the anaesthesia level.

Patients who are suffering from any other disease or have allergies genetically are examined carefully. Based on diagnosis and preparation risks, benefits, and other alternatives to the surgery are discussed.

Various Surgical Techniques:

There are various surgical techniques which are performed based on patients’ treatment. Ear surgery procedures are complex and one needs to decide which part will undergo surgery. Some patients have perforated eardrum problems others may suffer from the disposition of ear ossicle problems. Here you will find a detailed description of the surgical process.

1. Ossiculoplasty – As mentioned above there are some patients who are having problems with damaged or missing one of the ear ossicles. There are three ear ossicles in the middle ear Malleus, Incus, and states. They are responsible for proper hearing balance and problems in them can affect sound conduction. Doctors carefully operate and restore these ossicles.
2. Tympanoplasty – The patients who have perforated or damaged eardrum problem undergoes Tympanoplasty. An incision is made behind the ear to lift the outer ear canal. Then eardrum is cured and repaired through tissue graft with the help of tissues from the patient’s body or synthetic materials.
3. Cholesteatoma operation – Sometimes for unknown reasons, there is an extra outgrowth of skin in the middle ear and it can cause bone damage or an unorganized structure of the ear bone. It may result in permanent hearing loss, there is the careful removal of extra skin by operation.
4. Mastoidectomy – These are chronic ear infections for various reasons and they affect the mastoid bone. This condition makes it a necessity for the operation and the surgeon has to remove infected tissue. There is also a proper drainage problem in the ear that is also facilitated during operation.

The above four are surgery procedures for the different kinds of problems that occur in the middle ear. In all four cases surgery is necessary they can’t be cured by medicines.

Postoperative care of the patient

There is a necessity for post-operative care in case of middle ear surgery. Sometimes there are also after-surgery complexities that may create a problematic situation.

1. Recovery of the patient depends on the intensity of surgery performed.
2. Patients are advised not to put pressure and other heaviness on the head or ear parts.
3. Complications in hearing are also diagnosed properly, as it may include some other problems.
4. There are also complications like infection or deterioration of heating aid.
5. Post-operative care is a necessary part and needs to be monitored regularly.

Complications of Middle Ear Surgery:

Although middle ear surgery is a safe procedure if a qualified doctor is performing this. But any surgery is not fully safe and that is why an agreement is prepared by the doctor and hospital management. In the growing age of medical science, surgery is less risky in comparison to past experiments. So we need to talk about its complications:

1. There are chances of severe infection sometimes.
2. Ringing in the ear is also a complain of some patients.
3. There is also chance of facial nerve injury.
4. Anaesthesia may also cause problems, if not taken in the proper amount.
5. There are also balance issues because the ear is an organ to maintain the dynamic equilibrium of the human body.

Importance of a Ear Surgery Specialist

The ear surgery specialist knows how to tackle the problem of the ear canal and its nearby areas. Medical studies make specialists perform special tasks on the different parts of the body. You can’t go to a gastroenterologist for your ear problem. Complexities of the human body do not allow late timings for treatment.

Conclusion

As the periods and epochs are going medical science so growing and ear surgery is a complex surgery. You need to take care after surgery and there is also lots of preparation and diagnosis related to disease before surgery. If you are looking for a good surgeon and not sure what and why to do for your treatment you can take the help of Dr. Simple Bhadania. She is an ENT specialist and guides you regarding your surgery and ear, nose, and throat problems.