Photographs of Ear Infections & Diseases

• Outer ear (auricle) and ear canal (External Auditory Canal):  Common problems include:   Click Here for Photos of the External Ear Canal 
     
  • Acute bacterial and chronic fungal outer ear canal infections
  • Delayed hypersensitivity reaction
  • Ear lobe keloids
  • Basal cell carcinoma
  • Exposed bone from chronic infections
  • Stenosis of the ear canal from acute or chronic infections
  • Mastoid ear canal fistula
  • Osteomas or bony growths in the ear canal
  • Foreign bodies and Insects lodged in the outer ear canal
  • Trauma to the outer ear or auricle
     
     
• The eardrum and middle ear (air space behind the eardrum which allows the eardrum to vibrate)    
  Click Here for Photos of the Eardrum and Middle Ear    Take a Self Test On  Ear Anatomy !!!
     
  • Normal eardrums
  • Eustachian tube dysfunction causing cholesteatoma.
    • Retracted eardrums from eustachian tube dysfunction causing negative pressure in the middle ear
    • Serous otitis media, clear fluid builds up behind the eardrum with continued severe negative pressure
    • Retraction pocket formation:  With continued negative pressure the eardrum retracts into the middle ear and forms pockets.
    • Cholesteatoma:  Deep pockets can no longer clean themselves of skin and debris.  A skin cyst forms which erodes bone and becomes chronically infected.
  • Ear tubes and complications of ear tubes.  
  • Tympanosclerosis and Monolayers
  • Perforations or holes in the eardrum.
  • Acute otitis media.  This is an acute bacterial ear infection which is becoming harder to treat with antibiotics due to the rapidly emerging  bacterial resistance.
  • Glomus Tumor of the middle ear.
        
• Mastoid Disease:   The mastoid cavity is a group of air cells behind the ear.  They can become affected by infectious processes or cholesteatomas of the middle ear.  A case of Acute Coalescent Mastoiditis is presented.  The child had highly resistant Streptococcus Pneumonia bacteria and the infection occurred because the standard antibiotics used to treat ear infections were ineffective.
  Click Here for Photos
   
• The Inner Ear:  Diseases of the inner ear can cause hearing loss and dizziness or vertigo, but they usually do not cause physical findings which can be photographed or seen.