Ear Surgery

Assessment of ear complaints begins with an examination of the eardrum under a microscope or endoscope and a hearing test (audiometry). The treatment decision is based on these findings, how long the complaint has lasted and how it affects hearing; many ear problems improve with medicine, and surgery is considered when they do not improve despite adequate treatment.

Which complaints need an examination?

• Reduced hearing or a feeling of fullness in the ear
• Hearing loss that progresses slowly over the years although the eardrum is intact (this may be otosclerosis)
• Recurring or persistent ear discharge, especially after water gets into the ear
• A known hole (perforation) in the eardrum
• Ear complaints together with ringing in the ear (tinnitus) or dizziness
• Late response to sounds and delayed speech in children
• Problems caused by prominent (protruding) ears

Treatments in this group

• Stapes surgery (stapedotomy): restoring the function of the stirrup bone (stapes), fixed by otosclerosis, with a small prosthesis; an operation performed through the ear canal that usually takes about 1 hour.
• Tympanoplasty (eardrum repair): repairing eardrum perforations that have not closed within three months, or that cause hearing loss or discharge, with the patient’s own tissue; an operation of about 2 hours.
• Prominent ear surgery (otoplasty): reshaping the outer ear through an incision behind the ear; it can be performed from the age of 5–6, and you go home the same day.
• Middle ear infection and ear tubes (grommets): draining middle ear fluid in children that lasts longer than three months and affects hearing.

What happens at the examination?

The eardrum and ear canal are examined with a microscope or endoscope; eardrum movement is measured with tympanometry and the level of hearing with audiometry. In chronic ear infection, imaging may be requested to assess the middle ear and the ossicles. The nose and the back of the nose are also examined, because the Eustachian tube, which ventilates the middle ear, opens there.

How does the process work with Prof. Dr. Öner Çelik?

Consultations take place at the clinic in Suadiye and operations at Maltepe University Hospital. Packing removal, dressings and hearing checks after surgery continue at the clinic. Details are on the your treatment in Istanbul page.