Tube, tympanostomy


A small tube inserted into the eardrum to keep the middle ear aerated for a prolonged period of time. These ventilating tubes usually remain in place for 6 months to several years. Eventually, they move out of the eardrum (extrude) and fall out into the ear canal. Also called ear tubes.

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  • Tuber

    A lump or bump. For example, the backward protrusion of the heel is called the tuber calcanei or, alternatively, the tuberosity of the calcaneus. Small tubers are a characteristic finding in tuberculosis, and tubers in the brain are seen in tuberous sclerosis.

  • Tubercle

    A small tuber; a small lump or bump.

  • Tuberculin

    A protein extracted from Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is used in a skin test to determine if a person has been exposed to tuberculosis. The tuberculin preparation in most common use today is purified protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin. PPD is injected (or multiple-punctured) into the skin. If a reaction is seen at and around the site […]

  • Tuberculosis

    A highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Abbreviated TB. Tubercles (tiny lumps) are a characteristic finding in TB. Diagnosis may be made by skin test, which if positive should will be followed by a chest X-ray to determine the status (active or dormant) of the infection. Tuberculosis is more common in […]

  • Tuberculosis, antibiotic-resistant

    A variant of tuberculosis (TB) that is not affected by one or more of the antibiotics normally used to treat it. If the strain of TB is unaffected by more than one medication, it is called multi-drug-resistant (MDR) TB. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) is a rare type of MDR TB that is resistant to […]


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