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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour family doctor or ENT specialist can often determine if you have a perforated eardrum with a visual inspection using a lighted instrument (otoscope).
He or she may conduct or order additional tests to determine the cause of the rupture or degree of damage. These tests include:
- Laboratory tests. If there's discharge from your ear, your doctor may order a laboratory test to detect a bacterial or viral infection of your middle ear.
- Tuning fork evaluation. Tuning forks are two-pronged, metal instruments that produce sounds when struck. Simple tests with tuning forks can help your doctor detect hearing loss. A tuning fork evaluation may also reveal whether hearing loss is caused by damage to the vibrating parts of your middle ear (including your eardrum), damage to sensors or nerves of your inner ear, or damage to both.
- Tympanometry. A tympanometer uses a device inserted into your ear canal that measures the response of your eardrum to slight changes in air pressure. Certain patterns of response can indicate a perforated eardrum.
- Audiology exam. If other hearing tests are inconclusive, your doctor may order an audiology exam, a series of tests that measure how well you hear sounds at different volumes and pitches.
References
- Perforated eardrum. American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/perforatedEardrum.cfm. Accessed Nov. 16, 2010.
- Evans AK, et al. Evaluation and management of middle ear trauma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 16, 2010.
- Lustig LR, et al. Ear, nose and throat disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. 50th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies. 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2436&searchStr=tympanic+membrane+perforation. Accessed Nov. 16, 2010.
- Vernick DM, et al. Ear barotrauma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 16, 2010.
- Limb CJ, et al. Acute otitis media in adults (suppurative and serous). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 16, 2010.
- Cholesteatoma. American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/cholesteatoma.cfm. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
- Yates PD, et al. Otitis media. In: Lalwani AK. Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Otolaryngology. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies. 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2830509. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
- Shelby JH (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 28, 2010.
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