| Abstrakt: |
THE USE of plastic tubing to maintain a myringotomy opening in the tympanic membrane as a treatment for serous otitis is advocated by several authors.1-3 The purpose of this article is to describe a new instrument to facilitate the insertion of these tubes.Several types of myringotomy tubes have been designed. Armstrong1 recommends a straight tube; House,2 a single-end flanged tube; and Sheehy,3 a short double-flanged tube (grommet or collar-button style). Most available tubes have a lumen size of approximately 0.035 inch internal diameter. A myringotomy tube inserter making use of this common feature is shown in the illustration.The principle of action in this instrument is that of a barrel with a protruding retractable pin. The diameter of the pin is slightly greater than the internal diameter of the lumen of the myringotomy tube. Due to this size difference, the plastic tube will hold a |
