Ear Tubes

What are ear tubes?

Ear tubes, pneumatic ventilation tubes, or myringotomy tubes are all small tubes that are placed in a tiny hole in the ear drum to equalize pressure between the middle ear and the outside world or to drain fluid from the middle ear.

Why do I need ear tubes?

The ear tubes replace the function of the Eustachian tube, the tube that runs from the middle ear space to the back of the nasopharynx (the area behind the nose at the top of the throat).  This tube normally stays closed but opens up when you need to equalize pressure in the middle ear or drain fluid (often one hears a popping sound, especially on airplane flights or fast elevators). 

For most adults, the Eustachian tube has an incline which allows gravity to help move fluid out of the middle ear and deters infections from climbing up to the ear from the nose.  For small children, the Eustachian tube is almost parallel with the ground and is much shorter than in the adult, making its job more difficult.  If a child has a lot of ear infections or does not clear infections well between antibiotic treatments, then the child may actually have a conductive hearing loss. Any hearing loss during the critical time of speech development can impair learning and speaking ability. Therefore early intervention with ear tubes is often recommended.

Some adults with Eustachian tube dysfunction, chronic ear infections, or persistent fluid with hearing loss may also need ear tubes as well.