Earaches Visualized
2. A 2-year-old child was brought for a well-child exam two months after an episode of acute otitis media. He appeared healthy and was meeting all of his developmental milestones. An otoscopic examination revealed air-fluid levels in the right ear.
Photo courtesy of Frank Miller, MD. Reprinted from The Color Atlas of Family Medicine. 2nd ed.
Diagnosis: Otitis media with effusion, which is a characterized by fluid in the middle ear in a patient without signs or symptoms of an acute ear infection. The most common problem, present in more than half of patients, is mild hearing loss. This is usually identified when parents express concern regarding their child’s behavior, performance at school, or language development. The absence of signs and symptoms of acute illness assists in differentiating OME from AOM.
For more information, see “Air-fluid levels in ear.” J Fam Pract. 2013.
