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An ear tube insertion is when a doctor inserts tiny tubes, known as tympanostomy tubes or grommets, into the eardrum to reduce the occurrence of ear infections and allow drainage of excess fluids. The procedure is very common and poses minimal risks. An ear tube insertion is more common for children, who tend to suffer ear infections more often than adults.

The procedure is usually performed because of bacteria that travel from the nasal cavity into the ear during a cold or another respiratory ailment. This influx of bacteria stimulates inflammation and causes a fluid buildup behind the eardrum.

Adults can also get ear infections, but children get them more frequently because they have smaller eustachian tubes that are more likely to clog.

An eardrum rupture is a small hole or tear in your eardrum or tympanic membrane. The tympanic membrane is a thin tissue that divides your middle ear and outer ear canal.

This membrane vibrates when sound waves enter your ear. The vibration continues through the bones of the middle ear. Because this vibration allows you to hear, your hearing can suffer if your eardrum is damaged.

A cholesteatoma (Kuh-less-tee-uh-TOE-muh) is a growth behind the eardrum, in the middle part of the ear where tiny bones relay sound waves from the eardrum to the inner ear.

As a cholesteatoma grows, it can damage the bones of the middle ear. This can lead to hearing loss if it’s not treated.

Have you ever felt like you have a cold that doesn’t go away? Nasal congestion that doesn’t seem to stop, even with over-the-counter cold or allergy medication, maybe due to nasal polyps.

Nasal polyps are benign (noncancerous) growths of the lining tissues, or mucosa, of your nose.

Cochlear implants can restore hearing in people with severe hearing loss who are no longer helped by using hearing aids. Cochlear implants can improve their communication and quality of life.

Cochlear implants may be placed in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral).