Conductive Hearing Loss Treatment in Corpus Christi, TX
Common Causes of Conductive Hearing Loss
Outer Ear Causes
- Cerumen (earwax) impaction
- Otitis externa (outer ear canal infection with edema)
- Foreign bodies in the ear canal
- Congenital atresia (absence or narrowing of the ear canal)
Middle Ear Causes
- Otitis media with effusion (fluid in the middle ear)
- Acute or chronic otitis media
- Eardrum perforation
- Otosclerosis (abnormal bony fixation of the stapes)
- Ossicular chain disruption (from trauma, infection, or cholesteatoma)
- Cholesteatoma (an abnormal, destructive skin cyst in the middle ear)
- Eustachian tube dysfunction
Symptoms
- Hearing that sounds muffled, as though you are hearing through cotton
- Ability to hear better in noisy environments (the ‘cocktail party effect’ in reverse)
- Difficulty hearing soft sounds
- Better hearing in one ear than the other
- A sensation of pressure, fullness, or blockage in the ear
Diagnosis
The evaluation of conductive hearing loss includes otoscopy, tuning fork tests (Weber and Rinne), pure-tone audiometry with air and bone conduction testing, and tympanometry. The audiogram will demonstrate an air-bone gap a difference between air and bone conduction thresholds confirming the presence of a conductive component. Imaging (CT scan of the temporal bones) may be ordered when ossicular pathology or cholesteatoma is suspected.
Treatment Options
Cerumen Removal
When earwax impaction is the cause, professional removal typically results in immediate restoration of normal hearing.
Medical Management of Middle Ear Infection or Effusion
Acute otitis media is treated with antibiotics. Persistent otitis media with effusion may be managed with observation, nasal corticosteroids, or antihistamines when allergy is a contributing factor.
Tympanostomy Tube Placement
For persistent middle ear fluid or recurrent infections, ear tube placement ventilates the middle ear and resolves associated conductive hearing loss.
Tympanoplasty
Closure of an eardrum perforation by tympanoplasty restores the acoustic properties of the eardrum and typically improves the associated conductive hearing loss.
Ossiculoplasty
When the ossicular chain is disrupted or eroded, surgical reconstruction using natural tissue or a prosthetic device (PORP or TORP) can re-establish the middle ear sound-conducting mechanism and improve hearing.
Stapedectomy for Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis abnormal bone growth that fixes the stapes to the oval window is treated surgically by stapedectomy or stapedotomy, in which the fixed stapes is replaced with a prosthetic piston. Success rates for hearing improvement are high, typically exceeding 85 to 90 percent.
Hearing Aids
When surgery is not feasible or desired, hearing aids including bone-anchored hearing devices (BAHA) for patients with chronic ear disease or congenital ear canal abnormalities are effective alternatives.
Schedule an Appointment Today
If you’re experiencing muffled hearing or a sensation of fullness in the ear, conductive hearing loss is often treatable. Call us at (361) 320-6130 or connect with us online to schedule a hearing evaluation.