eardrum
Enable an AI agent to recognise an eardrum, record evidence about its integrity and mechanical state, and identify which assessments or interventions require further evidence and clinical authority.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise an eardrum, record evidence about its integrity and mechanical state, and identify which assessments or interventions require further evidence and clinical authority.
The tympanic membrane is the thin, cone-shaped fibrocartilaginous partition between the external auditory canal and the middle-ear cleft that converts airborne sound pressure into mechanical motion of the ossicular chain.
It can be Associate an otoscopic image or examination with the correct ear and annotate membrane regions and landmarks.; Record perforations, retraction pockets, scars, and reconstruction with explicit visibility limits.; Compare dated observations for changes in defect extent, membrane position, and healing.; Relate observed movement to supporting tests while preserving uncertainty about the source of mechanical abnormalities.; Check membrane-specific prerequisites before proposing an examination, exposure, or procedure.; Route unresolved or concerning membrane findings for qualified clinical assessment..
Distinguishing features
Identify a membrane at the medial end of the external auditory canal that forms the boundary with the middle-ear cavity; canal skin or obstructing debris alone does not establish this identity.
Seek a coherent set of tympanic landmarks, such as the peripheral attachment, malleus handle, and umbo; record when disease, reconstruction, or limited visibility prevents their recognition.
Distinguish the membrane from the oval and round windows by its canal-facing location and relationship to the malleus rather than an opening on the inner-ear boundary.
Distinguish an actual membrane opening from a retraction pocket, adherent debris, or a dark region by recording evidence of tissue continuity rather than relying on colour alone.
Distinguish native membrane, reconstructed membrane, and a membrane-mounted device using examination evidence and procedural history.
Scope
+ Identity, laterality, anatomical boundaries, and visibility of the tympanic membrane
+ Pars tensa, pars flaccida, attachment landmarks, and localised membrane findings
+ Membrane continuity, perforations, scars, grafts, and healing
+ Membrane position, deformation, and evidence about mobility
+ Observation quality and membrane-specific constraints on assessment or intervention
- External ear canal anatomy and canal disorders beyond their effect on membrane access or visibility
- Middle-ear cavity contents, infection, and pressure regulation as independently modelled conditions
- Ossicular-chain structure and disorders beyond the membrane's attachment interface
- Cochlear, vestibular, and auditory-nerve function
- Whole-person hearing disability, diagnosis, and treatment planning
- Ventilation-tube design and lifecycle beyond its relationship to the membrane
Characteristics
- Ear laterality
- left | right | unresolved Prevents findings and procedures from being assigned to the opposite eardrum.
- Membrane region
- pars tensa with stated quadrant | pars flaccida | annular margin | multiple regions | unlocalised Makes defects, pockets, and repairs anatomically locatable.
- Tissue continuity
- intact | perforated | surgically opened | indeterminate; record tube occupancy separately Changes interpretation of membrane mechanics and the prerequisites for procedures involving the ear.
- Defect extent
- estimated percentage of membrane area or calibrated dimensions in mm, with method and uncertainty Supports meaningful comparison of perforations and healing across examinations.
- Membrane position
- neutral | retracted | bulging | mixed | indeterminate, localised by region Records deformation without equating appearance with a specific underlying diagnosis.
- Membrane mobility
- observed excursion or reduced | absent | increased | indeterminate response, with examination method and stimulus Separates direct evidence about membrane movement from indirect evidence about the middle-ear system.
- Surface and tissue appearance
- described colour, translucency, visible deposits, scarring, and focal surface changes, with region and observation conditions Preserves visible evidence while avoiding unsupported diagnoses from appearance alone.
- Visible membrane proportion
- estimated percentage, with obscured regions and reason for obscuration An apparently intact visible portion cannot establish integrity of the entire membrane.
- Attachment and contact relationships
- relationship to annular attachment, malleus, other middle-ear structures, graft, or ventilation tube; observed | suspected | unknown Supports interpretation of altered shape, reconstruction, and mechanical coupling.
- Repair state
- unrepaired defect | healing | closed after prior defect | reconstructed | uncertain, with dated evidence Distinguishes current closure from native tissue and supports longitudinal assessment.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Membrane identity and boundaries Establish which eardrum is represented and which observed structures belong to it.
A useful assessment depends on correct laterality and on distinguishing the membrane from canal tissue, debris, and adjacent middle-ear structures.
Ear and landmark identification
Anchor the membrane to an ear and document the landmarks supporting recognition.
Supported tympanic identity
Record laterality and the anatomical evidence identifying the observed surface as the tympanic membrane.
- Which ear does this membrane belong to, and what establishes laterality? provenance
- Which peripheral attachment, malleus, or umbo landmarks support identification, and which cannot be recognised? definition
Regional and tissue boundaries
Locate membrane regions and distinguish native tissue, reconstruction, and adjacent material.
Regional tissue map
Represent the anatomical location and tissue ownership of each local finding.
- Does the finding involve pars tensa, pars flaccida, or the annular margin, and how is its orientation established? boundary
- What evidence distinguishes native membrane or graft tissue from canal tissue, debris, or an attached device? definition
Continuity and repair Describe openings, tissue alterations, and restoration of membrane continuity.
Integrity and repair history affect both mechanical interpretation and what can safely be proposed for the ear.
Openings and defect geometry
Characterise confirmed or suspected interruptions of membrane tissue.
Membrane opening evidence
Record evidence for an opening, its extent, and its relationship to the membrane margin or a tube.
- Is tissue discontinuity directly demonstrated, or could the apparent opening be a pocket, shadow, or obscured region? definition
- Where is each opening, how large is it, and does it reach the annular margin or contain a ventilation tube? measurement
Scarring, grafts, and healing
Track tissue changes associated with prior defects and reconstruction.
Documented repair trajectory
Connect current tissue appearance and closure to dated observations and procedural evidence.
- What examination or procedural evidence establishes previous perforation, graft placement, or membrane repair? provenance
- Across comparable observations, has the defect closed, changed extent, or remained unresolved, and what tissue changes remain visible? measurement
Position and mechanical response Represent membrane shape, local deformation, movement, and mechanical interfaces.
An intact eardrum can still have altered position or motion, and whole-ear test results cannot automatically be attributed to membrane tissue.
Membrane contour and pockets
Localise bulging, retraction, and relationships created by deformation.
Regional position and pocket visibility
Describe membrane contour and whether a retracted region can be fully assessed.
- Which regions are retracted or bulging, and what visual landmarks support that judgement? measurement
- If a retraction pocket is present, are its base and contents visible, and is contact with another structure observed or merely suspected? boundary
Movement and coupling
Separate directly observed membrane motion from indirect mechanical measurements.
Attributable mechanical response
Record movement evidence together with the limits of attributing a test result to the membrane.
- What membrane movement was observed, under which stimulus and examination conditions? measurement
- Which supporting results describe the combined middle-ear system, and what evidence permits any abnormality to be attributed specifically to the membrane? boundary
Appearance and observation quality Preserve local visual findings and the conditions that limit their interpretation.
Membrane appearance depends on visibility and examination conditions, and a partial view can conceal clinically relevant regions.
Local visual findings
Describe visible membrane changes without treating appearance as a settled cause.
Localised surface and tissue appearance
Record colour, translucency, deposits, and focal changes with anatomical localisation.
- What colour, translucency, deposit, or focal tissue changes are visible, and in which membrane regions? measurement
- Is the observed material on the membrane, within its tissue, or visible behind it, and what remains uncertain? boundary
Coverage and examination provenance
Establish how much of the membrane was assessed and how the evidence was obtained.
Limits of membrane assessment
Attach visibility, method, and comparability limits to membrane observations.
- What proportion and which regions of the membrane were visible, and what obscured the remainder? measurement
- When and by what method was the examination obtained, and do differences in view, lighting, or technique limit comparison with earlier observations? provenance
Assessment and intervention constraints Connect membrane findings and uncertainty to prerequisites for further assessment or intervention.
An agent must recognise when membrane integrity, reconstruction, or an incompletely assessed pocket changes the evidence and authority needed before acting.
Membrane-dependent action prerequisites
Identify information needed before ear procedures or exposures involving the membrane are proposed.
Integrity and repair action check
Record membrane-specific dependencies for a proposed action without supplying unsupported treatment rules.
- Does the proposed irrigation, topical exposure, pressure-based assessment, or instrumentation depend on confirmed membrane integrity, tube status, or repair history? action
- Which applicable clinical guidance and authorised clinician decision establish whether those prerequisites are satisfied? provenance
Reassessment and clinical handoff
Specify which unresolved membrane findings need further examination and what evidence the handoff must preserve.
Targeted membrane follow-up
Link reassessment to a specific unresolved defect, pocket, movement finding, or repair outcome.
- Which unresolved membrane finding requires further clinical assessment, and what additional view or examination would address the uncertainty? action
- What laterality, regional annotations, images, integrity evidence, and repair history must accompany that assessment? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- pars tensa
- pars flaccida (Shrapnell membrane)
- right tympanic membrane
- left tympanic membrane
- neonatal / paediatric tympanic membrane
- adult tympanic membrane
- intact tympanic membrane
- perforated tympanic membrane
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of eardrum this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Wikidata - Q49924 - item for tympanic membrane / eardrum
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of eardrum this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Terminologia Anatomica (FIPAT / IFAA): membrana tympanica
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of eardrum this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Otoscopy and pneumatic otoscopy for otitis media diagnosis
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of eardrum this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- diameter - 8-10 - mm
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of eardrum this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Perforation from infection, barotrauma, or trauma
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of eardrum this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Common name 'eardrum' vs anatomical 'tympanic membrane'
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of eardrum this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- oval window - oval window is the inner-ear interface under the stapes footplate, medial to the middle-ear cavity; the tympanic membrane is the lateral wall of the middle ear
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of eardrum this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- Tympanic membrane - Anatomical definition, layers, pars tensa vs pars flaccida, measurements, neighbours
What the second pass must settle
- Which clinical terminology and grading systems should govern perforation extent, retraction pockets, and membrane scarring without implying unsupported equivalence between systems?
- What observation coverage and examination evidence are sufficient to label the whole membrane intact rather than only its visible portion?
- Which mobility measurements and reference ranges are valid for different ages, examination methods, and reconstructed membranes?
- How should graft tissue and tube-associated openings retain continuity of identity with the registered eardrum over time?
- Which authoritative clinical sources should define membrane-specific restrictions and escalation criteria for irrigation, topical exposure, pressure-based testing, and instrumentation?