Case history
Case history #1
A 3-year-old girl presents with recurrent acute otitis media, refractory to antibiotics. She has been noted to have a mild conductive hearing loss and flat tympanograms on audiometric assessment. A serous effusion is present bilaterally on otoscopic examination.
Case history #2
A 45-year-old man with a history of allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis complains of aural fullness and inability to 'clear' his ears. His otoscopic examination is normal, but audiometric examination reveals mild negative ear pressure.
Other presentations
Patulous (abnormally patent) Eustachian tubes may present as a hearing impairment that only improves with supine position or leaning the head forwards. This is often associated with significant recent weight loss.
Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer