Myringotomy Set

A myringotomy is an operation performed by otolaryngologists to treat patients with complicated otitis media. This inflammatory disease of the middle ear cavity can lead to fluid building up in the middle ear, and is associated with hearing loss, ear pain and fever. If antibiotics fail to treat this condition, chronic or recurrent otitis media may occur, and this may result in bulging eardrums, acute excruciating pain, facial palsy and intracranial complications. This necessitates a myringotomy incision to be made in the ear drum in order to evacuate the middle ear fluid and place an ear (grommet) tube. This procedure helps relieve the pressure inside the middle ear and enables the restoration of hearing.

Surtex Instruments manufacture the instruments required for myringotomy to be carried out by ENT specialists. We manufacture each tool in this myringotomy set to fulfill an important step in the procedure.

Our myringotomy set includes 3 Hartmann Ear Specula, which are cone-shaped  devices used by ENT doctors to dilate the external ear canal and facilitate the examination of the tympanic membrane. The speculum can be attached to an otoscope to add suitable lighting and magnification of the external auditory meatus during the procedure. Otolaryngologists straighten the ear canal in adults by pulling the pinna backwards, laterally and upwards, and in children, by pulling the ear pinna backwards, laterally and downwards. This set includes 3.6 cm long specula with diameters ranging from 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm to suit different patient sizes.

Upon dilating the ear canal, thick ear wax may obscure the operator’s vision and decrease their precision. This ear wax, or cerumen, can be removed using the suitable size and shape of curette from our diverse selection of Buck Ear Curettes. Generally, ENT doctors use Buck curettes to debride and excise tissues as part of a biopsies or cleaning procedures in ear pathologies, and each curette has a long dexterous handle with a straight ring-shaped blade that is suited for this function. We manufacture blunt and sharp curettes with different sizes to clean the ear in a wide range of patient anatomies.

After clearing the wax in the ear canal, our Politzer Tympanum Needle can be used to make a radial incision in the antero-inferior quadrant of the tympanic membrane. The needle consists of a long flat handle, a tapering shaft and a diamond shaped blade. The angled corners of the handle enable the operator to possess optimal control of its manipulations, and the characteristic pointed blade delivers straight and clean-cut edges. The needle has an overall length of 17.5 cm.

Following the tympanic incision, our Baron-Schuknecht Suction Tubes can be used to extract and remove the thick and copious fluid from the middle ear cavity. The suction tube consists of an angled stainless steel catheter. Its outer end is bead-like and is connected to the suction apparatus, while the working slim end is long and cylindrical with diameters available from 1 to 2 mm. The outer portion of the catheter features an oval fenestrated pad that allows the operator to easily stop and initiate the suction process with minimal effort.

Another essential component of the myringotomy set is our fine Hartmann Aural Polypus Forceps. This model of crocodile forceps allows the easy manipulation and placement of a grommet tube in the tympanic incision. The inner jaws of the crocodile blades feature horizontal serrations to grant confident grasps of slippery materials, and the right angle between the finger ring handles and the long shaft allows the operator to easily visualize the blades and obtain maximal precision in placing the grommet tube.  The working length of the forceps is 12 cm.

Troeltsch (Wilde) Ear Forceps are instruments with flat and tapering blades that are generally used to grasp gauzes in aural packing procedures. This is assisted by their flat ridged handles that allow convenient manipulations in the ear canal. Troeltsch Forceps can be used to manipulate grommet tubes in place, and can also be used to deliver antibiotic packs into the ear canal after the myringotomy procedure is completed.

Farrell Cotton Applicators with spiral or triangular shaped ends are also available as part of this set, to enable the operator to add antibiotic-laden cotton pieces into the ear canal.  The applicators are 16 cm long and have a working diameter of 1.1 mm.