Otitis media is inflammation of the middle ear, the air-filled cavity between the tympanic membrane and the inner ear that houses the ossicular chain. It encompasses several clinical forms, including acute otitis media with rapid onset of infection and effusion, otitis media with effusion in which fluid persists wit…
Otitis media is inflammation of the middle ear, the air-filled cavity between the tympanic membrane and the inner ear that houses the ossicular chain. It encompasses several clinical forms, including acute otitis media with rapid onset of infection and effusion, otitis media with effusion in which fluid persists without acute signs, and chronic suppurative otitis media marked by ongoing discharge through a perforated eardrum. The condition is closely tied to dysfunction of the Eustachian tube, which normally ventilates and drains the middle ear; impaired tube function promotes negative pressure, effusion, and bacterial or viral colonization. It is among the most common reasons for conductive hearing loss, ear pain, and, in children, disruption of speech and language development. Long-standing or recurrent disease can lead to complications such as tympanic membrane retraction and cholesteatoma, an expansile collection of keratinizing epithelium that erodes surrounding bone and is evaluated with techniques including diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical management of the diseased or perforated middle ear, such as tympanoplasty using temporalis fascia or cartilage-perichondrium grafts, aims to eradicate disease and reconstruct hearing. Untreated severe cases may extend intracranially, underscoring the importance of timely diagnosis and otologic care.
10 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 10 articles above have been cited 19 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Otitis Media, linking to each citing work.