What do normal tympanic membranes look like?

What do normal tympanic membranes look like?

A normal TM is a translucent pale gray. An opaque yellow or blue TM is consistent with MEE. Dark red indicates a recent trauma or blood behind the TM. A dark pink or lighter red TM is consistent with AOM or hyperemia of the TM caused by crying, coughing, or nose blowing.

What does an abnormal tympanic membrane look like?

An abnormal tympanic membrane may be retracted or bulging and immobile or poorly mobile to positive or negative air pressure. The color of the eardrum is of lesser importance than the position and mobility. The redness of the tympanic membrane alone does not suggest the diagnosis of acute otitis media (Tables 2 and 3).

What does a healthy ear drum look like?

In a normal, healthy ear the ear canal appears the same color as the skin and the eardrum is a light gray or pearly white. The eardrum is not bulging outward and should reflect light.

How big is your eardrum?

It is approximately 0.1 mm thick, 8 to 10 mm in diameter, and has a mass weight of around 14 mg. Despite this diminutive size and mass, the tympanic membrane is extremely tough and flexible, and difficult to damage beyond repair.

What color is a normal eardrum?

Normal Results Normally, the canal is skin-colored and has small hairs. Yellowish-brown earwax may be present. The eardrum is a light-gray color or a shiny pearly-white. Light should reflect off the eardrum surface.

Can earwax be stuck on eardrum?

If you push cotton swabs, pencils, your finger or other objects into your ear canal to try to remove wax, the force can push the wax further into the ear and compress it against the eardrum. Earwax blockage, also called cerumen impaction, is a common cause of temporary hearing loss.

What does a dull tympanic membrane mean?

A dull tympanic membrane (dull ear drum) occurs when something is wrong with the middle ear, such as an infection, inconsistent pressure in the ear,… See full answer below.

What is the tympanic membrane commonly known as?

The tympanic membrane, more commonly known as the eardrum, is a membrane that divides the inner and outer ear.

Is the tympanic membrane part of the outer or middle ear?

Your eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane, is a thin layer of tissue that separates the outer part of your ear from your middle ear.

What does tympanic membrane is retracted mean?

Retracted eardrum. The eardrum is a flexible, very thin membrane which separates the middle ear from the outer ear. It is medically referred to as the tympanic membrane. A retracted eardrum refers to a condition wherein the eardrum gets pulled or sucked into the area occurring behind it.