Myringotomy is a surgical proceure in which a tiny incision is created in the eardrum, so as to relieve pressure caused by the excessive buildup of fluid, or to drain pus. Myringotomy is often performed as a treatment for otitis media. If a patient requires myringotomy for drainage or ventilation of the middle ear, this generally implies that the Eustachian tube is either partially or completely obstructed and is not able to perform this function in its usual physiologic fashion. Before the invention of antibiotics, myringotomy was the main treatment of severe acute otitis media (middle ear infection).