Ear specialist Frankfurt

Dr Thomas Fischer: Your ear specialist in Frankfurt

Dr Thomas Fischer completed his medical studies at the Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe University in Frankfurt and also completed his doctorate there. He then worked as a junior doctor and later as a senior consultant and acting head of the Clinic for Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases and Facial Plastic Surgery at the Frankfurt Municipal Hospital.

In addition, Dr Thomas Fischer gained international experience during various guest doctor residencies in the USA, including at the University of Illinois, Stanford University and the Lasky Clinic in Beverly Hills.

Interesting facts about ears and ear diseases

The ears play an important role in the perception of sounds, be it music, speech or other noises.

The outer ear catches the sound waves and transmits them through the auditory canal to the eardrum. The three auditory ossicles - malleus, incus and stapes - transmit the sound waves to the inner ear, where the receptors for hearing and the organ of balance are located. The ear is a complex anatomical structure that is susceptible to various diseases.

Typical ear diseases and complaints

You should consult Dr Thomas Fischer as your ear specialist in Frankfurt for the following diseases and complaints:

• Inflammations
  Viruses and bacteria can cause ear infections such as inner ear infections, middle ear infections and ear canal infections. The infections are usually accompanied by pain, hearing problems and tinnitus.
• Cholesteatoma
  This is a purulent inflammation of the middle ear caused by a benign tissue proliferation. Typical symptoms are earache and headache. As it progresses, cholesteatoma can damage other areas of the ear.
• Otosclerosis
  Hardening and new bone formations on the auditory ossicles hammer, anvil and stirrup can mean that sound is no longer transmitted properly in the ear. This can lead to ringing in the ears and hearing loss, particularly in the low frequencies.
• Injuries to the eardrum
  An accident, a fall, a loud bang or improper cleaning with a cotton bud can injure the eardrum.
• Tympanic effusion
  The tympanic cavity is a cavity behind the eardrum in the middle ear. Sometimes secretions can accumulate there and not drain away (e.g. during a cold). This can lead to an unpleasant feeling of pressure and/or hearing loss. Sometimes viruses and bacteria enter the ear area via the secretions and also cause an inflammation of the middle ear.
• Ear stones
  Sudden head movements can release small particles in the ear that enter the semicircular canals of the vestibular system. This leads to dizziness, which is known as positional vertigo.
• Barotrauma
  Barotrauma is caused by pressure changes in the middle ear, e.g. when diving or flying. It can lead to severe ear pain, dizziness and intense nausea. Particularly severe and sudden changes in pressure can also lead to a ruptured eardrum or even bleeding in the middle ear.

Things to know about tinnitus and sudden hearing loss

• Tinnitus

  Whistling, hissing, beeping or ringing: These noises in the ear can either occur acutely or become chronic.

  Tinnitus is a typical symptom of some ear diseases such as middle ear infections, but it can also be triggered by noise pollution or stress.

  Read more: Tinnitus therapy Frankfurt

• sudden deafness

  Hearing loss is characterised by a sudden loss of hearing or a significant hearing loss in one ear or, more rarely, both ears.

  Those affected often complain of a feeling of pressure and the occurrence of ringing in the ears. Causes of sudden hearing loss can include insufficient blood flow to the inner ear or stress.

  Further information: Hearing loss therapy Frankfurt

Interesting facts about hearing loss

You should not only make an appointment at our ENT clinic in Frankfurt if you have the above-mentioned complaints. You should also be examined if you have hearing loss or hearing impairment:

• Conductive hearing loss
  In this case, the sound waves reach your inner ear in a reduced form or not at all. As a result, you perceive everyday noises much more quietly and have the feeling of hearing through cotton wool.
• Sensorineural hearing loss
  This usually affects the inner ear. Although the eardrum and ossicles continue to transmit sound, the inner ear cannot process and transmit it correctly. This form of hearing loss often occurs in old age (age-related hearing loss).

It is also possible for both middle ear and inner ear impairments to occur simultaneously. In this context, we speak of a combined conductive sensorineural hearing loss.

More on the topic: Hearing and dizziness diagnostics

For dizziness: ear doctor in Frankfurt

Alongside headaches, dizziness is probably the most common neurological symptom. However, not all dizziness is the same. There are different forms:

• Vertigo
  You have the feeling that you are swaying and that your surroundings are rocking back and forth.
• Lift vertigo
  You think you are being pulled up.
• Rotational vertigo
  It feels to you as if the environment around you is spinning.
• Dizziness dizziness
  You may feel dizzy or groggy.
• Dizziness with a tendency to fall
  You think you are going to collapse and tip forwards or sideways.
• Vertigo
  You feel dizzy when you are in an elevated position.
• Travel sickness
  Travelling by car, bus, train, plane or boat makes you feel dizzy.

These different causes of dizziness are possible

Sometimes sudden rotatory vertigo occurs, which lasts for a few seconds and then disappears. This can be caused by ear stones in the semicircular canals of the inner ear, dysfunction of the vestibular system or the vestibular nerves.

Seizure-like dizziness, accompanied by rotatory vertigo or vertigo that lasts for seconds, minutes or even hours, may be due to inflammation of the inner ear or middle ear as well as vascular changes.

A sudden drop in blood pressure can also lead to spinning dizziness, which can even end in fainting, especially during puberty, in the case of nerve disorders or Parkinson's disease.

If your spinning dizziness persists for several days, weeks or even longer, this may indicate a one-sided loss of the vestibular system.

Middle ear infections, injuries to the base of the skull, barotrauma or damage to the cervical spine can also cause it, as they have a negative effect on the blood vessels and nerve tracts.

Information on treatment options: Dizziness therapy Frankfurt

Have your ears pinned

If ears protrude from the head, they are colloquially referred to as sail ears. The cause is usually a congenital malformation. The inner fold of the ear (anthelix fold) is often barely present or not present at all. Another possible cause is a conchoidal or excessively large pinna, which holds the ear away from the head and causes the earlobe to protrude. In most cases, sail ears are genetic and are a natural variation.

Many people find protruding ears unattractive and are even ashamed of them. Dr Fischer - your ear specialist in Frankfurt - can remove the protruding ears as part of the otopexy procedure.

Further information: Earmould Frankfurt