Tympanic membrane retraction used to manage tympanic membrane retraction, with the aims of preventing or relieving hearing loss and cholesteatoma formation. As retraction pockets may remain stable or resolve spontaneously, it may be appropriate to observe them for a period of time before considering any active treatment. The Valsalva maneuver increases middle ear pressure and can push a retracted eardrum out of the middle ear if is not adherent to middle ear structures. Hearing may improve as a result, however it can be a painful maneuver. The benefits are typically only temporary. Middle ear pressure can also be increased by Politzerization and with
Inferior tympanic artery Inferior tympanic artery The inferior tympanic artery is a small branch of the ascending pharyngeal artery. It is a small branch which passes through a minute foramen in the petrous portion of the temporal bone which is called tympanic canaliculus or inferior tympanic canaliculus, in company with the tympanic branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve, to supply the medial wall of the tympanic cavity and anastomose with the other tympanic arteries. In the case of a missing or underdeveloped cervical ICA, the Inferior tympanic artery can provide collateral ICA circulation by reversing flow of the caroticotympanic artery (embryologic hyoid artery). This