Alberta Health Services Mid Term Assessment Practice Test

Inflammation of the tympanic membrane is described by the term myringitis. The tympanic membrane, or eardrum, is the thin membrane at the end of the ear canal, and when it becomes inflamed, we use the suffix -itis to indicate inflammation with the root myring- specifying the eardrum. This differentiates it from edema (general swelling), ecchymosis (bruising), and arrhythmia (an abnormal heart rhythm). In some cases there's a bullous form, known as bullous myringitis, but the basic term for inflammation of the eardrum is myringitis.