Obligatory medical device diagnostics.
- Otoscopy – to evaluate the tympanic membrane; acute otitis media (AOM) is present according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (APP) guidelines if the following criteria are met:
- Moderate to severe protrusion of the tympanic membrane is present or new onset otorrhea (ear discharge; not due to acute otitis externa/ear canalitis)
- Minor protrusion of the tympanic membrane with otalgia (earache) occurring within 48 hours or marked redness of the tympanic membrane
Exclusion criterion for AOM: absence of inflammatory fluid accumulation in the tympanic membrane.
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics and mandatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnosis.
- Audiometry (hearing test) – in chronic otitis media to determine the baseline hearing loss.
- Conventional radiography of the skull – e.g., in cases of suspected fractures of the middle cranial fossa after severe trauma (in cases of oligoliquorrhea)
- Cranial computed tomography (cCT; CT of the skull) – in cases of suspected:
- Mastoiditis (mastoid process inflammation; inflammation in the mastoid process of the temporal bone with bone fusion)/brain abscess.
- Cholesteatoma (pearl tumor), as a method of first choice.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the skull (cMRI; cranial MRI) – if mastoiditis/brain abscess or cholesteatoma is suspected.
