{"id":196,"date":"2020-08-28T18:21:27","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T22:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centralalabamaent.fm1.dev\/ear-overview\/ear-tubes\/"},"modified":"2020-09-02T19:23:58","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T23:23:58","slug":"ear-tubes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/centralalabamaent.com\/ent\/ear-tubes\/","title":{"rendered":"Ear Tubes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What Are Ear Tubes? \",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Ear tubes are tiny cylinders, made from plastic or other materials, which are surgically inserted into the eardrum. They are meant to remain in place from six months to as long as several years; at some point they will either fall out on their own, or will need to be surgically removed. They go by a variety of names including tympanostomy tubes, ventilation tubes and PE (pressure equalization) tubes.\"\n    }\n  }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"How is ear tube surgery performed?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"The surgery, known as a myringotomy, is an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia. Fluid behind the eardrum is suctioned out, a small incision is made in the eardrum, and the tube is inserted. The procedure is quick and painless, and usually takes no longer than 15 minutes. Myringotomy is a common and safe procedure, and complications are rare. Occasionally, patients will experience a perforation of the eardrum, scarring or infection.\"\n    }\n  }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What Are the Benefits of Ear Tubes?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"In adults, the most common causes of hearing loss are noise and aging. There is a strong relationship between age and reported hearing loss.\"\n    }\n  }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"How Effective Are Ear Tubes?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Ear tubes are highly effective in reducing chronic ear infections, though some children (approximately 25 percent) who receive them before the age of two may need them again.\"\n    }\n    }]\n  }\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a parent, it probably comes as no surprise that middle ear infections are common in children, particularly those between the ages of&nbsp;six months&nbsp;and&nbsp;two years. Known as otitis media, these are caused by&nbsp;a number of&nbsp;factors, both physical and environmental.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most ear infections clear up on their&nbsp;own, or&nbsp;are treated with antibiotics. But in some children, they can become a chronic problem that causes other issues, such as delays in speech development and learning. For these children, ear tubes may be recommended.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What Are Ear Tubes?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"854\" src=\"https:\/\/centralalabamaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/iStock-607299394-1280x854.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/centralalabamaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/iStock-607299394-1280x854.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/centralalabamaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/iStock-607299394-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/centralalabamaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/iStock-607299394-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/centralalabamaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/iStock-607299394.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Ear tubes are tiny cylinders, made from plastic or other materials, which are surgically inserted into the eardrum. They are meant to remain in place from six months to as long as several years; at some point they will either fall out on their&nbsp;own, or&nbsp;will need to be surgically removed. They go by a variety of names including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/tests-procedures\/ear-tubes\/multimedia\/img-20199962\" title=\"Tympanostomy Tubes | Mayo Clinic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"tympanostomy tubes (opens in a new tab)\">tympanostomy tubes<\/a>, ventilation tubes&nbsp;and&nbsp;PE (pressure equalization) tubes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>How Is Ear Tube Surgery Performed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The surgery, known as a myringotomy, is an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia. Fluid behind the eardrum is suctioned out, a small incision is made in the eardrum, and the tube is inserted. The procedure is quick and painless, and usually takes no longer than 15 minutes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myringotomy is a common and safe procedure, and complications are rare. Occasionally, patients will experience a perforation of the eardrum, scarring&nbsp;or&nbsp;infection.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Benefits of Ear Tubes&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ear tubes provide ventilation to the middle ear and allow fluids to drain, reducing the chances of an ear infection from occurring. They can restore hearing loss caused by excess middle ear fluid, alleviate speech and balance problems, and improve behavior and sleep problems caused by ear infections.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>How Effective Are Ear Tubes?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ear tubes are highly effective in reducing chronic ear infections, though&nbsp;some children (approximately 25 percent) who receive them before the age of two may need them again.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re a parent, it probably comes as no surprise that middle ear infections are common in children, particularly those between the ages of&nbsp;six months&nbsp;and&nbsp;two years. Known as otitis media, these are caused by&nbsp;a number of&nbsp;factors, both physical and environmental.&nbsp;&nbsp; Most ear infections clear up on their&nbsp;own, or&nbsp;are treated with antibiotics. But in some children,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":339,"menu_order":23,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":""},"service_tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ear Tubes - Central Alabama ENT Associates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/centralalabamaent.com\/ent\/ear-tubes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ear Tubes - Central Alabama ENT Associates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re a parent, it probably comes as no surprise that middle ear infections are common in children, particularly those between the ages of&nbsp;six months&nbsp;and&nbsp;two years. 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