Ear injury

Any damage to the auricle, the external auditory canal, as well as the structures of the middle and inner ear belongs to a large group of ENT diseases called ear injuries.

You can treat ear injuries in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the K + 31 Clinic.

Ear injuries are more common, but the most severe consequences are observed with injuries to the inner ear.

Kinds

Mechanical trauma to the auricle occurs most often. It can be obtained in domestic circumstances, in a road traffic accident, during sports competitions. Auricle wounds are inflicted with a sharp or blunt object, a firearm.

The auricles are exposed to thermal injuries (burns, frostbite), chemical influences (in production, in laboratories). Together with the auricle, the external auditory canal is often injured by impact, injury, burn, frostbite.

Injuries to the middle and inner ear are, as a rule, one of the components of more severe, extensive damage in the body, for example, in traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractures of the bones of the base of the skull, lower jaw. Sometimes injuries to the middle and inner ear are combined with damage to the outer ear. Much less often, isolated trauma to the deep structures of the ear is noted, which happens with barotrauma - a sharp jump in pressure between the external auditory canal and the tympanic cavity (military action, rapid immersion under water or ascent to the water surface).

Ear injury symptoms

With an injury to the auricle and external auditory canal, a whole range of symptoms can appear:

  • Injuries - the presence of a wound, bleeding, accumulation of clots in the external auditory canal and hearing impairment, deformation of the auricle.
  • Blunt trauma - no obvious wound, redness, hematoma, change in the shape of the cartilage of the auricle, edema.
  • Burn - redness, blistering, skin detachment, with severe burns, up to tissue carbonization.
  • Frostbite is pallor, which gradually changes to redness (if complete frostbite has not occurred).
  • The impact of aggressive chemical compounds is the presence of limited lesions.

All these symptoms are accompanied by severe pain in the corresponding ear, hearing impairment with edema of the external auditory canal, possibly a general reaction of the body to blood loss, pain shock.

Injuries to the middle and inner ear are characterized by hearing loss, tinnitus and lumbago, dizziness, imbalance, pain in the temporal bone (especially when hematoma occurs). With an injury to the tympanic membrane - external bleeding from the tympanic cavity.

With a combination of injuries of the middle and inner ear with general trauma (TBI), fractures of the skull bones, with injuries of the outer ear, the corresponding symptoms join.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of external ear injuries in most cases does not present any difficulties. For the diagnosis, the patient talks about the conditions of the injury, and the specialist examines the damage.

In the diagnosis of injuries of the middle and inner ear, in addition to studying the anamnesis of the disease (the circumstances of the injuries), the otorhinolaryngologist uses special methods: otoscopy and otomicroscopy. These studies are necessary to visualize the tympanic membrane and search for damaged areas on it. With the help of audiometry and vestibular tests, the function of the ear is examined. X-ray of the skull bones (search for fractures), CT or MRI are mandatory for a more detailed examination of the small structures of the middle and inner ear.

The same diagnostic measures can be shown for trauma to the outer ear, when there are suspicions of more serious, associated injuries. In such situations, it is recommended to consult other specialists: a traumatologist, a neurologist. They can detect a problem in related structures in a timely manner, make their recommendations and thereby preserve health for you.

Ear Injury Treatment

Injuries to the outer ear require primary surgical treatment of the wound followed by otoplasty or reconstruction of the auricle (suturing of defects, restoration of lost parts, sewing on the amputated ear). Wounds of the external auditory canal are usually treated by introducing cotton or gauze turundas (cylinders) with antiseptic solutions into the ear.

Blunt injuries are treated conservatively, but tense hematomas are opened. In the presence of a defect in the cartilage of the auricle, delayed plastic surgery is performed.

In the treatment of middle ear injuries, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictor agents may be prescribed to relieve edema in the auditory tube, improve the outflow of fluid from the tympanic cavity and prevent the development of acute otitis media.

For injuries of the tympanic membrane and the auditory ossicles, various reconstructive operations are performed.

Inner ear injuries most often require symptomatic treatment (adequate pain relief, maintenance of vital body functions in the presence of TBI, antibiotic therapy). Subsequently, with a slight damage to the structures of the middle ear, microsurgical interventions are performed.

If a full restoration of the anatomical integrity of the most important structures is impossible, hearing aids are performed.

Service record

Services

  • Blowing of the auditory tubes according to Politzer
  • Otoacoustic emissions
  • Nose fracture
  • Sinus lift
  • Otoscopy
  • Tympanometry
  • Angina
  • Paresis of the larynx
  • Surgical treatment of snoring
  • Laryngoscopy


Specialists

All specialists
Sadikov
Ilya Sergeyevich

Head of the Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology, Otorhinolaryngologist

Tetzoeva
Zalina Muratovna

Head of the department of otorhinolaryngology, otorhinolaryngologist

PhD

Osipova
Irina Andreevna

ENT doctor

PhD

Lapshina
Anastasia Andreevna

Otolaryngologist, audiologist

Lopatin
Andrew Stanislavovich

Chief Specialist in Otorhinolaryngology

Doctor of Sciences, PhD, professor

Portnyagina
Maria Pavlovna

Audiologist-otorhinolaryngologist

Kaspranskaya
Galina Rustemovna

Otorhinolaryngologist, otoneurologist, audiologist

PhD

Budeikina
Liliya Sergeevna

Otorhinolaryngologist, phoniatrist