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
Development of the human body characteristics, the "filling in" of the child's body; from girl to woman, from boy to man. Biologically, an adult is a human or other organism that has reached sexual maturity. In human context, the term "adult" additionally has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a "minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of majority and is therefore regarded as independent, self-sufficient, and responsible. The typical age of attaining adulthood is 18, although definition may vary by legal rights and country. Human adulthood encompasses psychological adult development. Definitions of adulthood are often