Myringotomy minor procedure. Those requiring myringotomy usually have an obstructed or dysfunctional eustachian tube that is unable to perform drainage or ventilation in its usual fashion. Before the invention of antibiotics, myringotomy without tube placement was also used as a major treatment of severe acute otitis media (middle ear infection). The words myringotomy, tympanotomy, tympanostomy, and "tympanocentesis" overlap in meaning. The first two are always synonymous, and the third is often used synonymously. The core idea with all of them is cutting a hole in the eardrum to allow fluid to pass through it. Sometimes a distinction is drawn between myringotomy/tympanotomy
Myringotomy the incidence of post-operative otorrhea, tube blockage, or extrusion. Evidence suggests that tympanostomy tubes only offer a short-term hearing improvement in children with simple OME who have no other serious medical problems. No effect on speech and language development has yet been shown. A retrospective study of success rates in 96 adults and 130 children with otitis media treated with CO laser myringotomy showed about a 50% cure rate at six months in both groups. To date, there have been no published systematic reviews. Balloon dilation eustachian tuboplasty (BDET), a new treatment, has proven to be effective in treating OME