Causes of a damaged eardrum
The main cause of a damaged eardrum is tympanic perforation, caused by repeated infections and trauma to the auricular region, either accidental or aggression.
Other causes that usually require middle ear surgery are otosclerosis (fixation of the stapes to the inner ear; it is the most frequent cause of hearing loss in adults), serous otitis (occupation of the middle ear by mucus; if it does not improve with medical treatment, it will require the placement of transtympanic ventilation tubes) and middle ear cholestetoma (chronic infection that destroys the ossicles of the ear).
What is middle ear surgery?
Middle ear surgery is a group of surgical techniques whose purpose is to ensure that sound reaches the inner ear from the outer ear in the best possible conditions. The structures to be worked on would be the tympanic membrane (or eardrum) and the ossicles of the ear (hammer, anvil and stirrup).
There are two main types of hypoacusis or hearing loss: sensorineural (due to involvement of the ear nerve, i.e. the inner ear) and conductive hypoacusis (due to involvement of the middle ear structures). It is in the latter case when this surgery is indicated.
If it is endoaural (through the ear canal), the surgery is usually performed in a day hospital regime and the postoperative period only requires ear plugging and some rest at home for 4-5 days.
In case the surgery is retroauricular (behind the ear), it will require hospital admission, retroauricular wound, cephalic bandage and home rest for approximately two weeks.