What Is a Myringotomy (Ear Tubes)?

If sounds have started arriving as though you — or your child — were listening underwater, fluid trapped behind the eardrum is one of the commonest reasons. The eardrum can't vibrate freely when there's liquid in the space behind it, so hearing goes dull, ears feel full, and infections keep finding a welcome home. A myringotomy is the small procedure that lets that fluid out: the surgeon makes a tiny opening in the eardrum, removes the fluid, and in most cases leaves a minute tube in the opening so air can get in and fluid can get out while the ear settles.

The animated video at the top of this page is a good place to start if the idea is new to you. In just over a minute it walks through the anatomy of the ear, shows what happens after infections keep recurring, and demonstrates how tubes placed in the eardrum change the picture. What follows is the same story from the appointment side — what people usually want to know before, during, and after the day itself.

What brings you to this appointment in the first place

Myringotomy is rarely a first response. It's usually considered when fluid has sat behind the eardrum for a long stretch without clearing — the condition often called glue ear — or when middle-ear infections keep coming back despite treatment. Our guide to otitis media, the middle-ear infection itself, covers the illness side of that story. The concern isn't only discomfort. In children especially, months of muffled hearing can overlap with the years when speech and language are being built, which is why a hearing test is normally part of the assessment before anyone suggests tubes. Adults reach the same procedure by a slightly different road — a persistently blocked, full feeling in one ear, sometimes after flights or colds — but the mechanics of the operation are the same.

The day itself: shorter than most people expect

Here's the part that surprises families: the procedure is brief. Children are usually given a general anaesthetic, so they're asleep for it; adults can often have it done with the ear numbed instead — your team will discuss which applies. Working through the ear canal with a microscope, the surgeon makes a tiny cut in the eardrum, gently suctions out the fluid that's been trapped behind it, and in most cases places a small, hollow tube — sometimes called a tympanostomy tube, a ventilation tube, or a grommet — into the cut. The second video on this site, "myringotomy & glue ear" (just under two minutes), describes exactly that sequence: a small hole made so fluid can drain, with a tube placed so it won't simply back up again. There are no stitches and no cuts on the outside of the ear — everything happens through the ear canal — and most people go home the same day.

Once the tube is in: what it quietly does

It's worth picturing what the tube actually is, because it's easy to imagine something far more substantial. It's a tiny cylinder, small enough to sit in the eardrum, with a hollow middle. That little channel does the job the ear's own pressure passage — the Eustachian tube — has been failing to do: it lets air flow into the middle ear so pressure evens up on both sides of the eardrum, and it gives any new fluid an escape route instead of a sealed room to collect in. With the eardrum free to vibrate again, hearing often seems clearer quite quickly once the fluid is gone. The tube isn't a permanent implant. It stays in place for a period of months, doing its quiet venting work, and in most cases it works its way out on its own as the eardrum heals around it, after which the small opening closes by itself.

The first week, and the follow-up rhythm

Recovery is usually uneventful, which is still worth planning for. Some fluid may drain from the ear for a short while afterwards, and mild discomfort is common at first; your team will tell you what they'd like you to use for it and whether ear drops are prescribed. They'll also give you their own guidance about water — how careful to be at bath time and when swimming varies between teams, so follow the advice you're given rather than a rule from the internet. Follow-up appointments are part of the package: the team will check that the tube is sitting and working as it should, and hearing may be re-checked. Call sooner rather than waiting for the routine visit if pain is severe, drainage is heavy or doesn't settle, or fever develops — those are the sorts of changes any surgical team wants to hear about promptly.

And the honest limits? Tubes help while they're in place; they don't re-engineer the ear. Infections can still happen, a tube can occasionally block or come out early, and if the underlying tendency to collect fluid is still there when a tube falls out, the conversation may come round again. Very occasionally the opening in the eardrum doesn't close on its own after a tube comes out, and a repair procedure becomes a topic — our article on tympanoplasty, the eardrum repair operation, explains that side of ear surgery. None of that makes the procedure a gamble; it just means the decision is a weighing-up your ENT team does with you, based on how long fluid has persisted, what hearing tests show, and how much the infections have been disrupting life.

References & further reading

• MedlinePlus — Ear tube insertion: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003015.htm
• NHS — Glue ear: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/glue-ear/
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders — Ear Infections in Children: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/ear-infections-children

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a myringotomy the same as having ear tubes put in?
Almost always, in everyday use. Strictly, the myringotomy is the tiny cut made in the eardrum; placing a tube through that cut is the step that usually follows, and the two together are what most people mean by "ear tube surgery". Occasionally a myringotomy is done without leaving a tube, to drain fluid as a one-off.

Does the procedure hurt?
Children are asleep under general anaesthetic and feel nothing during it; adults are often treated with the ear numbed. Afterwards, mild discomfort and a little fluid drainage for a short while are common, and your surgical team will advise on pain relief and any prescribed ear drops.

How long do ear tubes stay in?
It varies with the type of tube and the ear itself. Tubes are temporary by design — they typically stay in place for months and then work their way out on their own as the eardrum heals, after which the small opening usually closes without stitches. Follow-up visits let the team confirm a tube has come out as expected.

Will hearing improve after the fluid is drained?
Fluid behind the eardrum dulls hearing by stopping the eardrum vibrating freely, so once it's removed and the tube keeps the middle ear aired, hearing often seems clearer quite quickly. Your team may repeat a hearing test at follow-up to check the change properly rather than relying on impressions.

Can my child still swim and have baths with ear tubes?
Guidance differs between surgical teams, so follow the advice you are given at discharge. Some teams are relaxed about bath water and ask for care mainly with swimming or diving; others suggest ear protection for a period. If you weren't told, it's a good question for the follow-up appointment or a quick call to the clinic.

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Educational only — this article is general information about myringotomy and ear tubes, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Whether ear tubes are right for you or your child is a decision for your own ENT team, who know the hearing tests and history involved.