Common conditions

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• Outer ear infection (otitis externa): pain, itching, sometimes discharge; often occurs after swimming (“swimmer’s ear”).
• Middle ear infection (otitis media): very common in children; causes ear pain, fever, and hearing loss. Recurrent infections may also affect speech development.
• Sudden hearing loss: usually one-sided, often accompanied by tinnitus or dizziness.
• Tinnitus: bothersome ear noises (ringing, buzzing, roaring) that can severely affect quality of life.
• Conductive hearing loss: caused by problems in the outer or middle ear, e.g. fluid, middle ear effusion, or injury.
• Eardrum perforation: a hole in the eardrum, usually after infections or injuries, leading to hearing loss or recurrent infections.
• Ménière’s disease: an inner ear disorder with recurring vertigo attacks, hearing loss, and tinnitus. One treatment option is labyrinth anesthesia, where medication is delivered directly into the inner ear.

Diagnostics & treatments

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• Hearing diagnostics:
  
  • Audiometry (hearing test) to precisely measure hearing ability
  • Tympanometry to assess middle ear function
• Microscopic ear cleaning: safe removal of earwax or foreign bodies under the operating microscope.
• Treatment of ear infections: depending on the cause, with ear drops, antibiotics, or – in chronic middle ear problems – minor procedures such as insertion of ear tubes.
• Surgical procedures: e.g. to treat eardrum or middle ear conditions.

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