![The physician performs a pneumatic otoscopy using a special tool, otoscope, in the following manner:](https://images.medicinenet.com/images/article/main_image/how-do-you-perform-a-pneumatic-otoscopy.jpg?output-quality=75)
- The patient must sit still during the procedure. During the examination of a child, the parent must hold the child on their lap.
- The doctor gently pulls the ear backward and upward to straighten the ear canal and get a better view of the eardrum.
- The tip of an otoscope is then inserted into the ear canal, ensuring that a strong seal is made with the canal.
- The ear canal and eardrum are checked and cerumen (excess earwax), if any, is removed.
- The eardrum is assessed for color, translucency, and position. A normal ear canal is convex, translucent, and intact. The bulb on the otoscope is squeezed and released alternately create positive and negative pressure on the eardrum and assess its mobility.
- Absence of eardrum mobility on the application of slight positive and negative pressure indicates an infection.
This procedure may cause a temporary hole in the eardrum that would heal spontaneously.
What is a pneumatic otoscopy?
Pneumatic otoscopy is an ear examination that assesses eardrum movement in response to pressure changes. A healthy eardrum moves in response to pressure. Immobility may be due to:
- Fluid in the ear
- Perforation (hole)
- Tympanosclerosis (scarring of the eardrum)
- Middle ear infections
Advantages of a pneumatic otoscopy include:
- High sensitivity and specificity to identify a middle ear infection
- Better than other ear examination methods
- Cheaper than other methods
- Easy to perform with appropriate training
- Quick and painless tests
- Otoscopes are widely available
A pneumatic otoscopy provides a useful means to examine diseases in the middle ear.
- Our ear has three parts. Each part has an important function:
- The outer ear (pinna and ear canal) gathers and directs sound, causing the eardrum to vibrate.
- The middle ear (tympanic membrane, ossicles, mastoid, and eustachian tube) augments and passes the vibrations to the inner ear.
- The inner ear (cochlea) transforms the vibration into electrical signals and drives them to the brain.
For a pneumatic otoscopy, you require the following:
- Pneumatic otoscopes: These are instruments used to visualize the ear canal and eardrums. Otoscopes must be fully charged with a bright bulb.
- Ear specula: These are funnel-shaped pieces of plastic attached to an otoscope. An ear speculum is inserted into the ear canal.
- Insufflator bulbs: These are attached tightly to the head of an otoscope by means of a tube.
![](https://images.medicinenet.com//images/slideshow/12_causes_od_fatigue_s1_man_checking_cellphone_in_bed.jpg)
SLIDESHOW
The 14 Most Common Causes of Fatigue See SlideshowWhen is a pneumatic otoscopy indicated?
A pneumatic otoscopy is useful to diagnose the following conditions:
- Acute otitis media (a painful type of ear infection)
- Otitis media with effusion (collection of thick fluid behind the eardrum)
- Tympanic membrane retraction (retraction of the eardrum)
- Hennebert’s sign or fistula test (a test done to identify the root cause of repeated vertigo)
- Brown’s sign (a test done to reveal a reddish-bluish pulsatile mass behind the eardrum)
What are the complications of a pneumatic otoscopy?
You might experience slight discomfort during the procedure. Some of the less common complications of pneumatic otoscopy include:
- Ossicular discontinuity: It is the loss of normal alignment between the three middle ear bones.
- Sensorineural deafness: It is hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear or the nerve from the ear to the brain.
https://open.umich.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/pneumaticotoscopyandotoscopy.pdf
Top How do you perform a pneumatic Otoscopy? Related Articles
Ear Infections: All About Ear Conditions
What's that? I can't hear you. Maybe it's tinnitus, or impacted ear wax, or cauliflower ear (yup, that's a thing). Find out what may be ailing your ears in this slideshow.Common Medical Abbreviations & Terms
Doctors, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals use abbreviations, acronyms, and other terminology for instructions and information in regard to a patient's health condition, prescription drugs they are to take, or medical procedures that have been ordered. There is no approved this list of common medical abbreviations, acronyms, and terminology used by doctors and other health- care professionals. You can use this list of medical abbreviations and acronyms written by our doctors the next time you can't understand what is on your prescription package, blood test results, or medical procedure orders. Examples include:
- ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.
- ARF: Acute renal (kidney) failure
- cap: Capsule.
- CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. A treatment for sleep apnea.
- DJD: Degenerative joint disease. Another term for osteoarthritis.
- DM: Diabetes mellitus. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- HA: Headache
- IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease. A name for two disorders of the gastrointestinal (BI) tract, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- JT: Joint
- N/V: Nausea or vomiting.
- p.o.: By mouth. From the Latin terminology per os.
- q.i.d.: Four times daily. As in taking a medicine four times daily.
- RA: Rheumatoid arthritis
- SOB: Shortness of breath.
- T: Temperature. Temperature is recorded as part of the physical examination. It is one of the "vital signs."
Ear Health Quiz
How loud is too loud? Take this quiz to learn about your ears, how they function, and how to keep them healthy.What Your Ears Say About Your Health
Could your sore or ringing ears be a sign of something else? Find out more from WebMD about what your ears can tell you about your health.