A grommet insertion is a tiny tube placed inside the ear drum which allows air to pass through the eardrum into the middle ear. The ear is essentially made of three parts: the inner, outer and middle parts. The middle ear acts as an airspace and it is attached to the back of the nose. When there is a build up of fluid in the middle ear, it cannot drain as there is no drainage passage in the back of the nose.

The build up of fluid in the middle ear results in a sticky jelly-like matter that eventually stops sound from passing through the eardrum properly. As a result, most patients who suffer from a fluid build up of the middle ear experience hearing loss and difficulties and in prolonged cases, infection. A grommet insertion is a common procedure to remedy the blockage and create an airway to dry the fluid.

Procedure information
Patients are usually placed under general anesthetics before a grommet insertion and remain unconscious for the duration of the procedure. Using a fine microscope, the doctor makes a small incision in the eardrum and drains the fluid from the inner ear with a fine sucking device.

After the fluid has been drained a tiny plastic tube, the grommet, is placed in the incision in the eardrum. The grommet creates an air passage for the ear tube, eardrum and middle ear. Over time the remaining fluid and any new fluid will dry up as a result of the new air flow.

Recovery time
After the grommet is inserted, it takes six to eight weeks for the fluid behind the ear to dry up completely, at which point hearing should return to normal. The grommet stays inserted in the ear drum for approximately one year.

In most cases, once the drainage issues are under control the eardrum naturally squeezes the grommet out into the ear tube where it can be easily removed. When this does not happen naturally, then a grommet removal procedure is usually in order.