This handout is about middle ear fluid in children ages 0 through 3 who have no other health problems. Tests for middle ear fluid and hearing. Treatments for middle ear fluid and hearing loss caused by middle ear fluid. How to work with your child's health care provider to find the best treatment for your child's middle ear fluid. Another name for middle ear fluid is otitis media with effusion.
Otitis media means middle ear inflammation, and effusion means fluid.
The ear has three parts-the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The outer ear includes the part outside the head and the ear canal. The eardrum is a small circle of tissue about the size of a fingertip at the end of the ear canal. The middle ear is the space, usually filled with air, behind the eardrum. When a child has middle ear fluid, this is where it is found.