Granular myringitis: a review.

Granular myringitis is the result of a localized chronic inflammation of the lateral surface of the tympanic membrane which is characterized by the development and persistence of granulation tissue over the involved area. The onset of the disease is insidious, and the symptoms, which are minor, are usually confined to chronic otorrhea and mild discomfort in the involved ear. Granular myringitis is a disease which is poorly understood and has received relatively little attention in the literature. The clinical features of this disease are outlined, the pathologic changes in the tympanic membrane illustrated, the literature reviewed and a strategy for treatment presented.