Otoscope Kits
Otoscope or Auriscope is a devise used by medical professionals primarily for performing aural and nasal passage examination. Otoscope has its roots in 1363 when it was first described and illustrated by Guy de Chauliac. Since then, its primary usage (examination of ear canal) has not been denatured rather in most cases through careful examination, diagnosis can be established of diseases such as otitis media and otitis externa. While in some cases findings can only be a tip of the iceberg, in mostly others it nips the bud in the very first stage.
An Otoscope Kit comprises of a light source (halogen or xenon light to illuminate the cavity), an otoscope head to be mounted on the light source (waterproof so as to avoid exposure from bodily secretions), removable adapter for attaching to the otoscope head, and reusable / disposable speculum (in variable sizes from 2.5mm to 4.5mm). Many models of speculum have loop to remove debri (cerumen) from the ear canal. While reusable speculum can be easily removed for cleaning and sterilization to prevent the risk of infection to the subsequent patient, however disposability of speculum is always preferred. Standard Otoscopes are not waterproof which may expose its light source to watery secretions.
Types of Otoscopes available are wall mounted otoscope, hand held otoscope and video otoscope. Wall mounted otoscope, as the name suggests, is AC powered and commonly attached on the wall unlike hand held otoscope which is battery run and is fully portable. Advantage of wall mounted otoscope is that it can be used for an extended time without disruption of changing the batteries. Another type available is Video Otoscope which is similar to a regular otoscope except that it has a miniature video camera built at its Otoscope head to give an ear canal image while examining the ear canal which can be viewed in a video monitor simultaneously. Pheumatic Otoscope, which is another variant of a standard otoscope, allows examination of tympanic membrane mobility by pushing air through the speculum. Apart from the ones used by medical professionals, simplified & inexpensive versions are also available for home users for routine check-up purpose. It is crucial to use the appropriate size of speculum as per requirement.
Needless to say, Otoscope has been a cornerstone in the diagnosis of otologic diseases. In the coming years promising technological advances may reduce its limitation to only being a diagnostic device.