Margaret A. Kenna

Ear drainage may be continuous or intermittent, can be thin or thick, and may be clear, cloudy, frankly purulent, or have the consistency of cottage cheese.

Purulent otorrhea may be associated with acute otitis media with either a perforated tympanic membrane (TM) or indwelling tympanostomy tube, chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) through a tympanostomy tube or TM perforation, or otitis externa.