Jubilee Hospital, Trivandrum.
Myringotomy and grommet insertion is the common operation done to restore hearing, mostly in children who are suffering from conductive hearing loss.
This is a procedure performed to drain the fluid in cases of middle ear effusions. Middle ear effusion or glue ear is a condition in which fluid accumulates behind the ear drum due to eustachian tube dysfunction, usually precipitated by upper respiratory tract infections or enlarged adenoid. The procedure involves making an incision in the eardrum and inserting a ventilation tube (grommet or T-tube). A grommet is like a tiny pipe that is put across the eardrum. The grommet lets air to get into the middle ear. This is easily done under local anesthesia in the adult patient. Children, however, require a short general anesthesia. It can be done as a day care procedure. Hearing improves immediately. Removal of the adenoids is sometimes advised. These operations above only take a short time to do. They are often done as a ‘day case’.
See pictures below:
