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Related Experiment Videos

Voluntarily retractable tympanic membranes: case report.

T Kobayashi1, T Takasaka

  • 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.

The American Journal of Otology
|May 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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A child learned to control his hearing by manipulating his eardrums. This rare case highlights how voluntary eustachian tube dysfunction can impact hearing acuity.

Area of Science:

  • Otolaryngology
  • Pediatric Audiology

Background:

  • The case involves a 7-year-old boy with a unique habit of voluntarily altering his hearing.
  • This behavior involved manipulating tympanic membranes, suggesting an unusual interaction with middle ear pressure.

Observation:

  • The boy could decrease his hearing acuity by performing a reverse Valsalva maneuver (pinching nostrils while sniffing).
  • This action caused B type tympanograms and a 35 dB hearing loss bilaterally, linked to tympanic membrane retraction.
  • He used this ability to selectively reduce auditory input in noisy environments or to concentrate.

Findings:

  • Normal A type tympanograms were observed initially.
  • The reverse Valsalva maneuver induced high negative middle ear pressure, likely locking the eustachian tube.

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  • This resulted in bilateral tympanic membrane retraction and conductive hearing loss.

    • Implications:

    • Suggests a possible incomplete closure of the eustachian tube in this individual.
    • Demonstrates a rare instance of self-induced conductive hearing loss through voluntary Eustachian tube dysfunction.
    • Highlights the complex relationship between middle ear pressure, eustachian tube function, and hearing acuity in children.