A system of practical medicine. By American authors. Vol. 4

by Unknown

This may be described as acute catarrh of the mucous membrane lining the middle-ear cavity. The prominent symptoms are as follows:

1. Pain.—This is, as a rule, of the most violent character. It is described as a boring or tearing pain situated in the ear itself, and often extending over the entire temporal region: any muscular exertion like swallowing or sneezing causes increase of it. The external ear becomes swollen, and so exquisitely tender to the touch that the least pressure over the tragus causes the patient to flinch very markedly. The pain tends to increase during the night up to the early morning hours, and to lessen during the day. The immediate effect of a middle-ear inflammation is to render the entire region of that side of the face tender, so that any movement of the jaws or neck becomes painful. It is also not uncommon to find the sympathetic glands of the neck becoming enlarged and tender, and they may go on to suppuration. The adult will complain most vigorously of the pain, so that there will be no difficulty in locating it; but in the infant or young child the greatest difficulty may be experienced in determining its precise seat, owing to its inability to express in language its suffering. Two points may be mentioned as aids in the diagnosis: (a) the cry of a young child suffering from an acute inflammation of the middle ear has a peculiar shrill, continuous character, an intermission sufficient only to inspire being noticed; (b) pressure over the tragus of an inflamed middle ear will cause a quick shrinking away of the little sufferer, thus showing the seat of the disease.

2. Loss of Hearing Power.—This depends partly on a lessening of the vibratory power of the conducting apparatus, partly due to a thickened tympanic membrane, and also to the fact that the mucous membrane covering the middle ear and chain of small bones becomes swollen, and so clogs their movements. Again, the tympanum may be filled with a mucous or muco-serous fluid, instead of being an air-chamber, as in the normal condition, so that vibrations of the conducting apparatus may cease entirely, while at the same time increase of intra-labyrinthine pressure takes place. A tuning-fork placed on the incisor teeth or on the forehead is heard more distinctly on the deaf side, due to the sound-vibrations being retarded in their outward passage through the diseased middle ear; also, the voice of the patient is heard by himself with increased resonance, due to the same cause (retarded sound-vibrations), and the patient unconsciously lowers the voice below its normal tone.

3. Giddiness is not uncommon, due partly to increase of labyrinthine pressure, and in some cases to a sympathetic irritation and congestion of the vessels of the basilar brain membrane. Fever is always to be looked for in acute middle-ear disease.

4. Noises in the ear (tinnitus aurium), resembling the noise produced by the escape of steam or the singing of crickets, etc., are common, and are due to a variety of causes. For instance, a large number of these noises (according to Theobold's theory) depend upon muscle and blood-vessel movements, causing vibrations that in a normal condition pass out through the external auditory canal without being noticed; but if their outward passage is impeded by obstructions existing in the middle ear, like thickened tissue or the existence of fluids, as mucus or pus, or by obstructions in the external auditory canal itself, such as impacted cerumen, etc., then these vibrations are thrown back and impress for a second time the auditory nerve-endings, and thus become noticeable sounds. (A familiar example is to shut the external auditory canal by closing the meatus: a tidal noise is at once noticed.) A crackling noise is often caused by air entering the middle ear and bubbling up through the confined fluids.

OBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS.—The tympanic membrane is at first slightly injected, particularly along the manubrium and the anterior and posterior folds; but as the inflammation advances the entire membrane becomes intensely injected and red. The cone of light is either very small or may be entirely absent, due to the membrane having lost its high reflective power. At this stage exudations into the middle ear frequently show themselves, and if of sufficient quantity may cause an outward bulging of the membrane: frequently the tympanic membrane at its lower third becomes less transparent, and in some cases fluid collections show a dark border-line stretching across the tympanic membrane, and movable by change of position of the head.

DIAGNOSIS.—This disease can be hardly mistaken: the only difficulty that can arise is whether the case is one of simple acute catarrh or is one of commencing purulent inflammation, as the symptoms are identical in each up to the formation and escape of pus, when no doubt can arise.

TREATMENT.—This must be directed against the acute inflammation that exists, then as quickly as possible to restore the mucous membrane to its normal condition and return to the sound-conducting apparatus its normal vibrating power.

Local bleeding is to be considered among the most important remedies, and therefore is taken first. This is best done by the use of the Swedish leech, applied to the tragus, as at this point the blood is most easily drawn from the tympanic cavity, in number from one to three; and if the taking of a larger quantity of blood is desired, this can be accomplished by encouraging the after-bleeding by hot fomentations. When great pain exists, when the auricle is tender and pressure on the tragus produces marked increase of pain, the application of a leech is indicated. In children it is best to refrain from the use of leeches.

The use of heat and moisture is most valuable. An effective method of application is as follows: Place the head of the patient in a horizontal position, with the affected ear turned upward, and fill the external auditory canal with water at the temperature, say, of 100° Fahr. Place quickly over the auricle towels that have been dipped in very hot water and wrung out as dry as possible, and over these a large flannel pad. This makes an excellent dressing, and one retaining the heat and moisture for a length of time. When it cools repeat the same proceeding until relief is obtained, when a large dry cotton pad can take the place of the previous dressing. Patients suffering from acute catarrh of the middle ear should be confined to the house, and, still better, to bed. All physical exercise aggravates this disease, and a suitable anodyne may be given to procure sleep if it be found necessary. Paracentesis of the tympanic membrane is sometimes indicated in those cases where the membrane shows distinct bulging and perforation is clearly close at hand; also in some cases where, notwithstanding previous treatment, the pain still continues with great severity. This operation is best done by incising the posterior half of the membrane by means of a broad paracentesis needle. The incision should be made at a point midway between the periphery of the membrane and the handle of the hammer, and on the dividing-line of the upper and lower posterior quadrants, the cut to be made downward. Paracentesis of the membrane is to be done while the head of the patient is well supported and the membrane illuminated by means of a light reflected from the head-mirror. Immediately after the operation wet hot flannels should be applied to the ear to relieve the pain.