HomeAnswersInternal Medicineear perforationIs it recommended to use hearing aid for ear perforation rather than surgery?

My daughter has perforation in right ear and doctor suggested hearing aid. Is this the right treatment?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Vinodhini J.

Published At April 10, 2020
Reviewed AtApril 10, 2020

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

My daughter is 11 years old with a tube in her left ear and a perforation in her right ear. The doctor does not want to fix the perforated ear until the tube falls out of the left ear and is healthy for a year. In the meantime, it is suggested that a hearing aid be used until the perforation surgery. Does this sound like a normal course of action and will ear perforation surgery improve the situation?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

We shall do the ear perforation surgery only when we are sure that eustachian tube ventilation to the middle ear is normal and not hampered by any reason. The functioning of the eustachian tube is indicated by the successful falling off of the ventilation tube (the grommet). The falling off indicates that middle ear pressures are getting maintained by the natural eustachian tube.

Usually, kids of this age have some remnant adenoids which causes tubal obstruction causing recurrent ear issues (like in your kid). Usually, the adenoids regress by this age. If they don't, then the kid will have symptoms of mouth breathing, snoring, teeth crowding and protrusion, and other signs of adenoid facies. If these issues are there then before we attempt ear surgery we will have to remove the adenoids (and +/- tonsils). Because the source of ear infection is adenoids (+/- tonsils). Otherwise we can wait for a while until the natural eustachian tubes function well and then we can repair the eardrum. We would need to do an adenoid x-ray to check for the adenoid size.

Meanwhile, hearing aid is the best option because you cannot risk your child not hearing properly at this age as it would adversely affect his speech and development. For any queries on this matter please revert back to me.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Shyam Kalyan. N
Dr. Shyam Kalyan. N

Otolaryngology (E.N.T)

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