ASSESSING EARS Flashcards
EARS
* the sense organ of hearing and equilibrium. It consists of
three distinct parts: the external ear, the middle ear, and the
inner ear.
a. External Ear
b. Middle Ear
c. Inner Ear or labyrinth,
is composed of the auricle, or pinna,
and the external auditory canal
external ear
is a small, air-filled
chamber in the temporal bone.
b. Middle Ear or tympanic cavity,
is fluid filled and made up of
the bony labyrinth and an inner membranous
labyrinth.
c. Inner Ear or labyrinth,
Sound vibrations traveling through air are collected
by and funneled through the external ear, causing
the eardrum to vibrate.
HEARING
the transmission of sound waves through the external and
middle ear
Conductive Hearing
would be related to a dysfunction
of the external or middle ear (e.g., impacted ear wax, otitis
media, foreign object, perforated eardrum, drainage in the
middle ear, or otosclerosis)
conductive hearing loss
transmission of sound waves in the inner ear
Perceptive or Sensorineural Hearing
would be related to dysfunction of the
inner ear (i.e., organ of Corti, cranial nerve VIII, or temporal
lobe of brain)
sensorineural lossww
- composed of the auricle, or pinna, and the external auditory
canal - S-shaped in the adult
- the outer part of the canal curves up and back
- the inner part of the canal curves down and forward
EXTERNAL EAR
Modified sweat glands in the external ear canal secrete
_______ - a wax-like substance that keeps the
tympanic membrane soft
______has bacteriostatic properties, and its sticky
consistency serves as consistency serves as a
o cerumen
has a translucent,
pearly gray appearance and serves as a partition stretched
across the inner end of the auditory canal, separating it from
the middle ear.
The tympanic membrane, or eardrum,
—the nearest
auditory ossicle that can be seen through the translucent
membrane
malleus
—the base of the malleus but also serves as a center
point landmark
Umbo
—the reflection of the otoscope light seen as a
cone due to the concave nature of the membrane
Cone of light
—the top portion of the membrane that
appears to be less taut than the bottom portion
Pars flaccida
—the bottom of the membrane that appears to
be taut
Pars tensa
a small, air-filled chamber in the temporal bone
* separated from the external ear by the eardrum and from
the inner ear by a bony partition containing two openings,
the round and oval windows
MIDDLE EAR (Tympanic cavity)
MIDDLE EAR (Tympanic cavity) contains 3 auditory ossicles:
malleus, incus, stapes
These tiny bones are responsible for transmitting
sound waves from the eardrum to the inner ear
through the oval window
3 auditory ossicles:
malleus, incus, stapes
Air pressure is equalized on both sides of the tympanic
membrane by means of the _____, which
connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx
eustachian tube
The bony labyrinth has 3 parts:
cochlea, vestibule,
semicircular canals
fluid filled and made up of the bony labyrinth and an inner
membranous labyrinth.
INNER EAR (Labyrinth)
The inner cochlear duct contains the
spiral organ of Corti, Sensory receptors,
- the sensory organ for
hearing
spiral organ of Corti,
_____ located in the vestibule and in the
membranous semicircular canals, sense position
and head movements to help maintain both static
and dynamic equilibrium.
Sensory receptors,
Blocked sebaceous glands
- Postauricular cysts
Ulcerated, crusted nodules that bleed
Skin cancer
Tenderness over the mastoid process suggests
mastoiditis.
Redness, swelling, scaling, or itching
Otitis externa
o Redness, swelling,
painful auricle or tragus is associated with otitis externa or
a
postauricular cyst.
Tenderness behind the ear may occur with
otitis media.
(nonmalignant nodular swellings)
Exostoses
growth on inside the ear canal due to infection may block the view of the eardrum
Polyps
—scarring from infections
White spots
—trauma from infection
- Perforations
the client reports lateralization of sound to the good
ear. This is because of limited perception of the
sound due to nerve damage in the bad ear, making
sound seem louder in the unaffected ear.
Sensorineural hearing loss
– swimmer’s ear
Otitis externa –
o red, bulging membrane
o decreased or absent light reflex
- Acute Otitis Media
o Indicates blood behind eardrum due to trauma
- Blue/Dark Red Tympanic Membrane
o caused by increased pressure, usually from
untreated infection or trauma
Perforation results from rupture
yellowish, bulging membrane with bubbles behind it
Serous Otitis Media
White spots and streaks indicate scarring from
infections
- Scarred Tympanic Membrane
Prominent landmarks are caused by negative ear
pressure due to obstructed eustachian tube or
chronic otitis media
- Retracted Tympanic Membrane
– drainage usually indicates infection
Otorrhea
– earache
Otalgia
– ringing in the ears
Tinnitus –
often begins with a loss of high frequency sound
presbycusis
true spinning motion in ear
vertigo
fusion of the ossicles in the middle ear over time and
otosclerosis
use ___ to differentiate conductive hearing and sensorineural hearing loss
rinne test
in ear inspect
auricle targus and lobule
congenital deformity in which the external ear and sometimes the ear canal are not fully developed, excessive enlargement of the ear
microtia
nontender, hard, cream colored nodules on the helix or antihelix containing uric acid, hard external nodules associated with deposits of uric acid crystals in advance gout
tophi
perfrom ___ if client reports diminish or lost hearing
webber test
this test client equilibrium
romberg test
