Myringotomy Tubes

Almost every child by the age of five has at least one ear infection, which usually resolves on its own or with antibiotics. But, if your little one suffers with frequent, painful ear problems, you may consider another solution for long-term relief.

At Heartland Regional Medical Group, our board-certified ENTs specializes in ear tube insertion, or tympanostomy—a highly common, safe and reliable procedure. Tubes not only help reduce chronic ear infections, but may also eliminate hearing loss, speech development problems or other complications due to fluid build-up.

About the Tympanostomy Procedure

Before considering ear tubes, we will talk with you about your child’s specific symptoms and health history.

Together, you might decide on a wait-and-see approach or treatment with medication, or agree that ear tubes are best for persistent ear infections (four or more in a year) that are impacting your child’s life. Before the procedure, your child will be given light anesthesia to go to sleep, so they won’t experience any discomfort.

The ENT specialist then gently cleans the ear canal and places tiny, plastic or metal tubes in the eardrums through a small incision. The tubes help air flow into the ears, which alleviates pressure and promotes better drainage of fluid. The entire procedure usually takes less than 30 minutes to complete for both ears.

Benefits of tympanostomy often include:

• Reduced risk of ear infections
• Restored or improved hearing, almost immediately
• Improved speech, behavior, balance and sleep if ear infections were causing problems