Ruptured eardrum

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Ear anatomy

Eardrum repair - series

Mastoiditis - side view of head

Medical findings based on ear anatomy

Tympanic membrane perforation; Eardrum - ruptured or perforated; Perforated eardrum

• Earache or ear discomfort
  • May be severe and increasing
  • A sudden decrease in ear pain may occur followed by ear drainage
• Drainage from the ear (may be clear, pus, or bloody)
• Hearing loss in the affected ear (may not be complete loss of hearing)
• Ear noise/buzzing

The doctor will look in your ear with an otoscope. If the eardrum is punctured, the doctor will see an opening in it, and may even see the bones of the middle ear. Sometimes it is hard for the doctor to see the eardrum because of drainage from the ear (pus).

Audiology testing can measure the extent of hearing loss.

Review Date: 02/19/2007
Reviewed By: Alden J. Pearl, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.