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John J. Shea, Jr., M.D., John R. Emmett, M.D., Paul F. Shea, M.D., and J. Gregory Staffel, M.D. have written several discussions regarding EAR DISEASE and their associated treatments and procedures. To read these discussions select a topic below.
Meniere's Disease Medical Treatment
Meniere's Disease is due to an excess accumulation of fluid in the inner ear. Also known as "glaucoma of the ear," it has four components:Fullness or pressure in the ear; Roaring, ringing, or other noises in the ear; Fluctuations in hearing; Dizziness.
Perfusion of the Inner Ear Through the Round Window of the Middle Ear
Normally, the fluid produced in the inner ear is absorbed in the endolymphatic sac. As a result of a small and inadequate sac, made worse by an injury, allergy, infection or stress of any kind, there may be a reduced absorption of inner ear fluid from the endolymphatic sac and/or excess production of inner ear fluid, which causes excess fluid to accumulate in the inner ear.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition, which is noise in your ear, not present in your environment. It is usually associated with hearing loss, and most often due to the same cause as your hearing loss. There are many causes of tinnitus, the most common being deterioration of the hearing nerves, exposure to loud noise, adverse reaction to drugs, coffee and tea, nicotine, various illnesses, especially high blood pressure, etc.
Positional Vertigo
This is a loss of balance and dizzy spells that came on with changes in the position of your head, especially after getting out of bed in the morning, or turning over in bed, or just looking up. This positional vertigo is due to tiny calcium granule "floaters" in your inner ear fluids that have come loose from the gelatin-like balance receptors in each of the three balance canals in your inner ears. Most adults with this condition had "motion sickness" as children.
Sudden Hearing Loss
Rupture of a delicate membrane in your inner ear, in a "weak" place from birth that bursts and allows the potassium-rich endolymph to escape into the perilymph space and come into contact with the "hair cells" that do the hearing and damage them. This causes sudden hearing loss, the feeling of fullness, etc., and noise in your ear, plus the loss of balance, and dizzy spells. Some of these ruptures heal, and all or part of the hearing returns. Most do not heal, and little or no healing returns. The loss of balance and dizzy spells disappear more slowly, together with the feeling of fullness and noise.
Chronic Otitis Media Tympanoplasty
This is a chronic middle ear infection with hearing loss. This infection has damaged the structures that carry sound into your ear...At operation, a piece of vein, fascia or perichondrium will be used to repair the eardrum. The hearing bones will be used when possible, or replaced with a plastic prosthesis if not. If infection is present in the mastoid bone, this infection will be removed through the same or a separate incision behind your ear.
Otosclerosis Stapedectomy
This hearing loss is due to a calcification of the bones of the ear. It is also known as "arthritis of the ear". You are unable to hear because there is an obstruction to the passage of sound into your ear. The hearing nerve is good, but sound cannot get to it. You hear something but not enough to understand.
Middle Ear Fluid
Normal condition of the ear in which air goes up the Eustachian tube into the middle ear with each swallow. In middle ear effusion the Eustachian tube becomes blocked, air cannot get into the middle ear and fluid accumulates behind the drum. The hearing is decreased.
Eustachian Tuboplasty for Autophony
Autophony is a rare but annoying complaint caused by a continuously open Eustachian tube, the narrow passageway between the back of the nose and the middle ear. Most of the time the Eustachian tube is closed, except when you swallow, during which air passes up the tube into the middle ear. When the Eustachian tube is open most of the time, as in autophony, air goes up the tube into the middle ear with each breath, causing an annoying roaring noise in the ear.
Nerve Deafness
Nerve Deafness is due to deterioration of the "hair cells" in your inner ear that do the hearing and/or the nerves that carry the sound to your brain. Such Nerve Deafness is present in all patients over 65, in various amounts, and more patients with a family history of hearing loss, or those exposed to loud noise, drugs, head injury, etc.
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Three generations of excellence. Global reputation. World class medicine with home town service.
Shea Ear Clinic was founded by Dr. John Shea, Sr. in 1926.
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