Otology covers the outer, middle and inner ear, while neurotology deals with the inner ear and the nerves that connect it to the brain. Ear pain, discharge, blocked ears, tinnitus, dizziness and reduced hearing are common symptoms. For patients seeking hearing loss treatment in Mumbai, the first step is to establish the type of loss, because conductive loss from the eardrum or middle ear is treated very differently from sensorineural loss of the inner ear.

Assessment includes ear examination under magnification and hearing evaluation, followed by imaging where required. Medicines and ear care come first for infection, and surgery is advised when the eardrum, ossicles or mastoid bone are damaged. For severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss that hearing aids cannot help, cochlear implantation is available. Risks include infection, changes in hearing, dizziness, taste disturbance, and, rarely, facial nerve injury.

Apex provides the following otology services:

• Eardrum and Middle Ear Surgery: Apex performs myringotomy, tympanostomy and tympanoplasty for fluid, infection and perforation.
• Mastoid Surgery: Apex performs tympanomastoidectomy for chronic ear disease, including cholesteatoma.
• Hearing Restoration: Apex performs stapedectomy for otosclerosis.
• Cochlear Implantation: Apex performs cochlear implant surgery for profound hearing loss.