Library · Procedure
Otoscopy
Make it clearer
Otoscopy is the examination used to check the outer ear and the middle ear. It is not a separate test sent off to a laboratory: it is usually done as part of the physical exam of the head and neck, right there in the office.
The instrument is called an otoscope, and it has two parts: a light source and a magnifying lens. The light illuminates what lies deep inside, and the lens enlarges it, so the structures are seen better than they would be with the naked eye. What the examiner is looking at is the external ear canal, which is the tunnel; the tympanic membrane, which is the eardrum, the taut sheet that closes off that tunnel; and through it, the middle ear on the other side.
And there is one maneuver that strikes many people as odd. Before looking, the examiner holds the auricle, that is, the outer ear, with the free hand and pulls on it gently. It is not a pointless tug: the ear canal is curved, and that traction straightens it so the light reaches the eardrum in a straight line.
In brief
Otoscopy is the examination used to evaluate the outer and middle ear, and it is usually done as part of the physical exam of the head and neck.
The otoscope has a light source and a magnifying lens, and it lets the examiner see the external ear canal, the tympanic membrane and the middle ear.
To get a good view of the tympanic membrane, the examiner pulls on the auricle, which straightens the canal.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingOtoscopy, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated