Tympanosclerosis
Tympanosclerosis is the medical term for scarring of the ear drum. Scarring occurs after the ear drum is injured or after surgery. Commonly a small white area can be seen after a person has had middle ear ventilation tubes. The scarring on the ear drum looks bright white. (Please see photo)
Tympanosclerosis and congenital cholesteatoma (Chapter 7) can sometimes be confused. They are both white lesions seen on or under the ear drum.
Twenty year old who had tubes in his ears as a child. He had no ear complaints.
Young adult with no complaints and a history of having tubes in the ears.
Adult with large scar on ear drum and current problem with fluid in the ear.
Thirty year old with a long history of ear problems. The ear drum is retracted, scarred and has a thin mono-membrane. A mono-membrane is a single layered ear drum which healed that way after a perforation.
Sixty year old who had ear surgery many years before to repair a perforated ear drum. The hearing in the ear is not very good. The normal ear drum landmarks are not seen and the ear drum is thickened and scarred. The patient wears a hearing aid.