Bullous myringitis.

Abstract

A literature review regarding bullous myringitis revealed ony one case due to culturally proven Mycoplasma pneumoniae among 16 cultured cases. In addition, there was only one case of viral (adenovirus) bullous myringitis in 13 appropriately cultured patients. Forty-three of 66 patients for whom bacterial cultures were performed revealed bullous myringitis due to pneumococcus (21 cases), due to Haemophilus influenzae (14 cases), and due to β-hemolytic Streptococcus (ten cases). Thus, bullous myringitis is "... merely acute otitis media with blisers within the substance of the eardrum ... bullous myringitis should be treated the same as other types of acute otitis media." Comment: There are few or no data to support the role of any specific agent as the cause of bullous myringitis, nor is there reason to believe that bullous myringitis is a specific entity.