Welcome to our new forum, written by and for providers. As physicians, we can help each other improve quality, cost-effective medical care by sharing advice on reaching the correct diagnosis and treatment plans.
Please submit your “clinical pearls” (or ideas you’d like to see explored) to Common Ground so others can practice better medicine. Our thanks to Dr. Donovan for his comprehensive “pearls” complete with photos and descriptions.
This first edition addresses the many causes of adult ear pain, by John Donovan, MD, Willamette ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery.
Ear pain/otalgia is a common complaint. We must broaden our differential diagnosis beyond Otitis media and otitis externa. Many patients with TMJ dysfunction are given 1-3 courses of antibiotics for “possible ear infections” when the exam is normal and there is no hearing loss.
Click here to read the PDF with pictures, some common causes of otalgia and helpful hints on making the correct diagnosis.