Otolaryngology Coding Alert
Understand What Impacted Cerumen Is
Impacted cerumen (or wax in the ear) can affect both children and adults. The condition occurs when layers of wax within the ear canal build up to the point of blocking the canal and putting pressure on the eardrum. Cerumen is most likely to become impacted when it is pushed against the eardrum by objects people put in their ears, or when it is trapped against the eardrum by a hearing aid. Less common causes include an overproduction of earwax or an abnormally narrow ear canal that tends to trap the wax.
Symptoms: Partial loss of hearing is the most important symptom of cerumen impaction. Other symptoms can include itching, tinnitus (noise or ringing in the ears), a sensation of fullness in the ear, and pain in the ear (otalgia). In very young children, cerumen impaction is sometimes discovered during a routine check-up when the doctor finds that the earwax is blocking his or her view of the eardrum.
Otolaryngology Coding Alert
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