Otology Unveiled: Delving into Ear Health and Disorders
Otology and Neurotology Specialty deals with diseases of the external, middle, and inner ears and diseases affecting neural connections between the ear and the brain. Otology deals with the treatment of anatomy and physiology of the ear, infections, deafness, dizziness, or reconstruction of the ear.
Neurotology Specializes in Surgeries of acoustic neuromas, glomus tumors, and other conditions found deep in the skull. Bharti ENT Care Hospital specializes in all types of Ear Surgeries ranging from simple tympanoplasty to complicated repair and decompression of the facial nerve.
Surgery Performed
- Myringoplasty / Tympanoplasty
- Ossiculoplasty
- Mastoidectomy / Mastoid Exploration
- Facial nerve Decompression / Grafting
- Ear and Mastoid Tumour & Cancer Surgeries
- Particle Repositioning Maneuvers for Positional Vertigo Under Guidance of State - of - Art Otometrics Otoacoustic Impulse VHIT / Video Frenzel Glasses
- Endolymphatic Sac Decompression (Meneires Disease)
- Stapes Surgery
- Myringotomy Grommet
- Cochlear Implant Surgery
- Otoplastic Surgery (Reconstruction of Outer Ear & Ear Canal)
- Video Nystagmography (VNG)
Facilities Available
- OPD Department and Operation Theatres for medical and surgical treatments of all ear - related and ear - to - brain neural conditions.
- Procedure Room for carrying out detailed examination of the ear cavity using microscope, endoscope to access deeper areas.
- Audiological and vestibular testing to qualitatively and quantitatively assess hearing and balance functions is carried out in Audiology (Hearing Test) Department.
- The latest VHIT technology (Video Head Impulse Testing) to locate cause in Vertigo / Dizziness Patients.
- Microscopic ear surgeries in state of the art, laminar flow operation theatres.
- Audiologists and rehabilitation experts to help hearing loss patients enjoy sounds.
Conditions Treated
- Ear Discharge
- Hearing Loss
- Ear & Ear Canal Shape Deformities
- Tumours Affecting the Ear
- Ear Pain
- Tinnitus
- Facial Paralysis
- Dizziness / Vertigo
Myringotomy Grommet
A grommet is a miniature plastic tube that is placed inside an especially created hole in the eardrum to let the air get in and out and improve ventilation of the middle ear. Myringotomy with grommet insertion is conducted in patients suffering from a condition called glue ear (Secretory or Serous Otitis Media) i.e. fluid accumulation in the ear, or those with a retracted eardrum.
Such conditions afflict children more than they do adults and hurt the hearing and speech faculties of the patient. Grommets can remain inside the ear for 6 months to a year (Sometimes Longer). As the eardrum grows, grommets fall out by themselves and this extrusion is rarely noticed. This surgery is mostly performed under short-duration general anesthesia. While the grommet can cause some scarring in the eardrum, it has no adverse effect on hearing ability.
Myringoplasty
It is a microsurgical procedure (Conducted using an Operating Microscope) to reconstruct the eardrum or the tympanic membrane of the ear. In this surgery, harvested graft tissue is used to repair the perforated eardrum. The ear is then packed with gel foam, a Self-absorbable material, to secure it in place. The surgeon bandages the ear from the outside for up to 7 days. This surgery can be performed under local or general anesthesia.
Tympanoplasty
Eardrum perforation may result from chronic infection or, less commonly, from trauma to the eardrum. Repair of Tympanic membrane and reconstruction of damaged Ossicles with Allograft Bone / Cartilage. The normal conducting apparatus of the middle ear consists of an intact tympanic membrane and three ossicles connected in series. Any disruption of these components can cause conductive hearing deficits. Tympanoplasty with ossicular chain reconstruction is a procedure to reestablish the connection between the eardrum and the inner ear through a prosthesis or reconstructed hearing bones. The main goal of this is to improve conductive hearing loss.
Ossiculoplasty
The ENT surgeon partially or completely repairs the ear’s sound conducting mechanism by either augmenting or reconstructing the damaged ossicles, using harvested ossicles or artificial prosthetics made of Teflon, hydroxyapatite, titanium, etc. The remaining part of this surgical procedure is quite similar to that of myringoplasty. ENT surgeons often combine ossiculoplasty with myringoplasty in a single procedure.
Stapes Surgery
When a disease called otosclerosis strikes the middle ear, the stapes – which is the smallest bone of the ear and also of our body – goes static, stops vibrating and the sound conduction part of the hearing mechanism is disturbed leading to hearing loss. Stapes surgery (or Stapedectomy) is a microsurgery that involves the construction of an alternative sound conduction mechanism using a Teflon piston to bypass the fixed stapes to restore hearing. This is an hour-long surgery and is usually performed under local anesthesia.
Mastoidectomy or Mastoid Exploration
The mastoid bone, situated right behind the ear, is a non-rigid, sponge-like structure that can get infected due to an untreated infection in the middle ear. Mastoidectomy, also called mastoid exploration, is the complete removal of diseased mastoid air cells from the mastoid bone. A mastoidectomy can be done under general or local anesthesia.
Surgery for Facial Paralysis
Our center has wide experience in surgical decompression of facial nerves in patients who have incurred facial palsy from a wide variety of causes like Idiopathic, Trauma, or Iatrogenic. We even specialize in the Grafting of Broken / Lost Facial Nerve Segment. We have state of art Medtronic facial nerve monitor.
Cochlear Implant Surgery
A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that improves the sense of hearing in people who are profoundly deaf or have severe hearing difficulties. The implant consists of an external part that is located behind the ear and a second part that is surgically placed under the skin. An implant does not restore normal hearing. However, it can provide a deaf person with a useful understanding of the sounds of the environment and improve their communication with the people around them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Discover when to consult an otologist, learn about common ear conditions, and find insights into comprehensive care, including the treatment of issues like dizziness and balance disorders.
Otology is a branch of medicine that focuses on the study and treatment of the ear and its related structures. It deals with conditions affecting the ear, including hearing loss, infections, balance disorders, and more.
Otologists commonly address issues like ear infections, hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), vertigo (dizziness), Meniere’s disease, and other conditions related to the ear canal, eardrum, and middle ear.
While otology concentrates on the medical and surgical management of ear diseases, audiology focuses on hearing and balance disorders through non-invasive testing and rehabilitation services. Otologists are medical doctors specializing in ear diseases, whereas audiologists are healthcare professionals who diagnose and treat hearing-related issues.