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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffThe doctor will examine you or your child and ask some questions about the ear infection. During the exam, the doctor will look for inflammation in the middle ear with a lighted instrument known as an otoscope.
The doctor may also use an instrument called a pneumatic otoscope, which allows him or her to gently puff air on the eardrum. Normally this causes the eardrum to move. Any fluid in the middle ear will prevent that movement.
Sometimes additional, often pain-free tests for ear infections are recommended - especially if you or your child has had fluid in the middle ear for some time:
- Tympanometry. This test measures eardrum movement. A soft plug is inserted into the opening of the ear. The plug includes a device that changes air pressure inside the ear.
- Acoustic reflectometry. During this test, the doctor uses a hand-held instrument to project sounds of varying frequencies into the ear. How the sounds are reflected off the insides of the ear can tell the doctor how much fluid is inside the ear.
Based on the test results, you or your child may be diagnosed with:
- Acute otitis media (AOM). In AOM, parts of the ear are infected and swollen, and fluid and mucus are trapped inside the ear.
- Otitis media with effusion (OME). Effusion refers to fluid. In OME, fluid stays in the ear after the infection has cleared up. The presence of fluid increases the risk of a new infection, and you or your child may need additional treatments to clear the fluid from the ear.
