Causes of tympanic membrane rupture
- Self induced as during cleaning.
- During ear wash.
- Slap on the ear.
- Otitic baro trauma.
- Blast injuries; compression and rarefaction waves.
Symptoms and signs of traumatic tympanic membrane rupture:
- Deafness.
- Otalgia (pain in the ear).
- Bleeding per ear (does not clot if mixed with CSF).
- T.M perforation (see the table).
- Blood clots in external auditory canal EAC.
- Tuning fork: Conductive deafness.
Differential diagnosis of traumatic from pathological perforation of tympanic membrane
Treatment of Traumatic tympanic membrane rupture
a- Conservative
- Keep ear sterile, no water entry or ear drops
- Systemic antibiotics, nasal decongestants & avoid nose blowing.
- In most cases it heals spontaneously.
b- Surgical
Myringoplasty in persistent perforation (after 6 months).
References
References