The purpose of this study is to identify factors that may contribute to conductive hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss is a type that is due to a problem with the outer or middle ear. Because of this, sound does not travel through the ear normally. Perforated tympanic membranes of study patients will be photographed during the patient's routine visit using a digital otoscope. These pictures will be used to analyze perforation size as an absolute value as well as a percentage of the tympanic membrane. Audiometric results and CT scans of temporal bone (reports and images) collected as standard of care will be evaluated. Images of CT scans will be imported into a medical imaging software for creation of anatomically realistic 3D models of the middle ear and mastoid air space. Structural analysis on each 3D model will be conducted and analyzed, the volume of middle ear and mastoid air spaces will be recorded, and data points will be correlated with perforation size and location to audiogram results.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
presence of perforation
Number of patients with perforations
Time frame: Day 1
absence of perforation
number of patients without perforations
Time frame: Day 1
change in audiometric measurements
looking at difference between baseline and last observation
Time frame: Baseline, up to 16 weeks
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