- 🔬Pathophysiology
- Eustachian tube dysfunction → middle-ear effusion → bacterial infection (S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, M. catarrhalis).
- 🩺Signs & Symptoms
- Otalgia, fever, bulging/erythematous tympanic membrane with impaired mobility, hearing loss; common in children.
- 🎯Gold Standard Diagnosis
- Pneumatic otoscopy: bulging TM with decreased mobility (clinical diagnosis).
- 💊First-line Treatment
- High-dose amoxicillin first-line; amoxicillin-clavulanate if recent antibiotics or treatment failure.