2018 Volume 67 Issue 5 Pages 791-796
Tympanometry (TM) is a simple test for assessing the function and condition of the eardrum and middle ear. TM of healthy subjects shows results of type A, its peak typically ranging from +100 to −100 daPa. However, a peak is rarely detected on the high-positive-pressure side. In this study, we aim to investigate the clinical background of patients revealing a positive pressure higher than +51 daPa in TM conducted in a clinical laboratory at Kitasato University Hospital. Of the 2,614 ears examined, the tympanograms (TGs) of 15 ears (0.9%) demonstrated a positive pressure higher than +51 daPa. Of these 15 ears, 6 demonstrated a high positive pressure in both ears, 6 only in the right ear, and 3 only in the left ear; additionally, abnormal findings of the eardrum were detected in only 2 ears. Despite conducting TM several times in approximately 4 subjects, high positive pressure was not always detected. Hence, the presence of high positive pressure in this study suggests that several causative factors were responsible other than acute otitis media.
