Question:medium
Tubercular otitis media is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT?
Tubercular otitis media is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT?
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TB middle ear discharge is classically painless, so pick the feature that contradicts that.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Painful otorrhea
- Multiple perforations
- Pale granulations
- Foul-smelling ear discharge
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Pattern recognition: the classic triad of TB otitis media is painless discharge, multiple perforations, and pale granulations.
Tuberculous otitis media usually follows pulmonary tuberculosis, with bacilli spreading up the eustachian tube. The textbook picture is painless otorrhea resistant to standard antibiotics, several perforations across the drum, and abundant pale granulation tissue, often with underlying bone necrosis and preauricular node enlargement. Foul smelling discharge can occur once bone is destroyed.
The question asks for the odd one out. Three options (multiple perforations, pale granulations, foul smelling discharge) are all real features. Painful otorrhea contradicts the painless nature of the disease, so painful otorrhea is the exception and the correct answer.
Tuberculous otitis media usually follows pulmonary tuberculosis, with bacilli spreading up the eustachian tube. The textbook picture is painless otorrhea resistant to standard antibiotics, several perforations across the drum, and abundant pale granulation tissue, often with underlying bone necrosis and preauricular node enlargement. Foul smelling discharge can occur once bone is destroyed.
The question asks for the odd one out. Three options (multiple perforations, pale granulations, foul smelling discharge) are all real features. Painful otorrhea contradicts the painless nature of the disease, so painful otorrhea is the exception and the correct answer.
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