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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour family doctor or ENT specialist can usually determine if you have a ruptured eardrum with a simple 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 is 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 tear in your 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.
- Perforated eardrum. American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/perforatedEardrum.cfm. Accessed Jan. 3, 2009.
- O'Handley J, et al. Otorhinolaryngology. In: Rakel R, ed. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders/Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/115405234-5/0/1481/281.html?tocnode=53392988&fromURL=281.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2467-5..50027-0--cesec49_1202. Accessed Jan. 3, 2009.
- Mirza S, et al. Otic barotrauma from air travel. Journal of Laryngology and Otology. 2005;119:366-370.
- Ramakrishnan K, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of otitis media. American Family Physician. 2007;76:1650-1658.
- Staffel JG, et al. Hearing loss. In: Wax M, ed. Primary Care Otolaryngology. 2nd ed. Alexandria, Va.: American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; 2005. http://www.entnet.org/EducationAndResearch/updload/Chapter-6-Hearing-Loss.pdf. Accessed Jan. 4, 2009.
