Anatomy of an Ear Infection Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Exams and Tests

A health care practitioner usually can diagnose the cause of an earache by taking a patient history and performing a medical examination. In general, X-rays and other tests are unnecessary.

Otoscope

The health care practitioner often uses an otoscope to look into the ear canal to evaluate the canal and the ear drum.

• If otitis externa is the cause of the earache, the ear canal will look swollen and inflamed. There may be thick drainage visible. Sometimes, the canal may be so swollen and painful that the diagnosis is made because of the difficulty with inserting the plastic end of the scope into the canal.
  
  
• Bullous myringitis is diagnosed by using the otoscope to visualize the ear drum. The tissue will look inflamed and fluid blisters can be seen.
  
  
• Otitis media causes inflammation and swelling of the middle ear. The health care practitioner cannot see the middle ear directly but instead, uses the otoscope to look at the ear drum. Initially, fluid fills the middle ear (serous otitis media), and there may be air and fluid bubbles seen behind the drum. As pressure builds, the ear drum may not move if a small puff of air is pushed through the otoscope. If the eardrum looks red and inflamed, the diagnosis of acute otitis media is made.

Depending upon the circumstances, the health care practitioner may also evaluate other parts of the body including the throat (looking for sore throat or tonsillitis), the neck (feeling for swollen lymph nodes and assessing stiffness), and the lungs (looking for signs of pneumonia).

Hearing Tests

• Hearing tests may be recommended if there have been recurrent infections or if there has been a delay in speech development.

Laboratory Tests

• Sometimes, a sample of drainage from the ear is sent to the laboratory in an attempt to identify the specific bacteria causing the infection. Sending the sample to the laboratory is not necessary in most cases and usually is reserved for infections that do not respond to normal treatment.