Assessing Ears Flashcards
Instrument for examining the interior of the ear, especially the eardrum, consisting essentially of a magnifying lens and a light.
otoscope
The ear is divided into three parts:
external ear, middle ear, and inner ear
The ___ includes the auricle or pinna, the external auditory canal
external ear
lobule
Earlobe
the posterior curve of the auricle’s upper aspect
helix
the anterior curve of the auricle’s upper aspect
antihelix
the cartilaginous protrusion at the entrance to the ear canal
Tragus
a depression of the antihelix
triangular fossa
(the entrance to the ear canal).
external auditory meatus
Although not part of the ear, the ___, a bony prominence behind the ear, is another important landmark.
mastoid
The glands secrete __ (earwax), which lubricates and protects the canal.
cerumen
The curvature of the external ear canal differs with age.
In the infant and toddler, the canal has an __ curvature.
By age 3, the ear canal assumes the more ___ curvature of adulthood.
upward
downward
The __ is an air-filled cavity that starts at the tympanic membrane and contains three ossicles
middle ear
bones of sound transmission
Ossicles
What are the three ossicles
malleus (hammer)
incus (anvil)
stapes (stirrups)
The ___e, another part of the middle ear, connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx.
The tube stabilizes the air pressure between the external atmosphere and the middle ear, thus preventing rupture of the tympanic membrane and discomfort produced by marked pressure differences.
eustachian tube
The ___ contains the cochlea, vestibule, semicircular canals
inner ear
a seashell-shaped structure essential for sound transmission and hearing
Cochlea
which contain the organs of equilibrium.
the vestibule and semicircular canals
___ transmission occurs by this process:
1. A sound stimulus enters the external canal and reaches the tympanic membrane.
- The sound waves vibrate the tympanic membrane and reach the ossicles.
- The sound waves travel from the ossicles to the opening in the inner ear (oval window).
- The cochlea receives the sound vibrations.
- The stimulus travels to the auditory nerve (the eighth cranial nerve) and the cerebral cortex.
Air-conducted
__ transmission occurs when skull bones transport the sound directly to the auditory nerve.
Bone-conducted sound
___, which measure hearing at various decibels, are recommended for children and older adults.
Audiometric evaluations
is the result of interrupted transmission of sound waves through the outer and middle ear structures.
Possible causes are a tear in the tympanic membrane or an obstruction, due to swelling or other causes, in the auditory canal.
Conductive hearing loss
is the result of damage to the inner ear, the auditory nerve, or the hearing center in the brain.
Sensorineural hearing loss
is a combination of conduction and sensorineural loss.
Mixed hearing loss
The ___ separates the external ear from the middle ear.
tympanic membrane
The middle and inner ear cannot be directly inspected. Instead, testing ___ assesses these parts of the ear.
hearing acuity and the conduction of sound
the portion of the external ear visible without any tools.
It is composed of a thin plate of yellow elastic cartilage covered by tight-fitting skin and is shaped with hollows, furrows, and ridges that form an irregular funnel to conduct sound waves into the external auditory canal
● Also called auricle or external ear
● Flap like organ on either side of the head
● Made of cartilage, skin, and shape like a funnel
● Collects and directs sound into the ear canal
Auricle (pinna)
The ___ is S-shaped in the adult
● Tunnel or passageway that begin from external ear and extends inward toward the eardrum
● Long tube lined with hairs
● Direct sound to eardrum
auditory canal
The __ of the canal curves up and back; the ___ of the canal curves down and forward.
outer part, inner part
___ has bacteriostatic properties, and its sticky consistency serves as a defense against foreign bodies.
Cerumen
The middle ear, or __, is a small, air-filled chamber in the temporal bone.
It is separated from the external ear by the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and from the inner ear by a bony partition containing two openings, the round and oval windows.
tympanic cavity
The ___, 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.
tympanic membrane, or eardrum
TRUE OR FALSE
The tympanic membrane itself is convex and located at the end of the auditory canal in a tilted position such that the top of the membrane is closer to the auditory meatus than the bottom.
False, should be concave
the nearest auditory ossicle that can be seen through the translucent membrane
Handle and short process of the malleus
the base of the malleus, also serving 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
Is equalized on both sides of the tympanic membrane by means of the eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx
Air pressure
The inner ear, or ___ , is fluid-filled and made up of the bony labyrinth and an inner membranous labyrinth.
labyrinth
The inner cochlear duct contains the spiral organ of ___, which is the sensory organ for hearing.
Corti
located in the vestibule and the membranous semicircular canals, sense position and head movements to help maintain both static and dynamic equilibrium.
Nerve fibers from these areas form the ___, which connects with the cochlear nerve to form cranial nerve VIII (acoustic of vestibulocochlear nerve).
Sensory receptors, vestibular nerve
Sound ___ traveling through air are collected by and funneled through the external ear, causing the eardrum to vibrate.
vibrations
are then transmitted through auditory ossicles as the vibration of the eardrum causes the malleus, the incus, and the stapes to vibrate.
As the stapes vibrates at the oval window, the sound waves are passed to the fluid in the inner ear.
The movement of this fluid stimulates the hair cells of the spiral organ of Corti and initiates the nerve impulses that travel to the brain by way of the acoustic nerve.
Sound waves
The transmission of sound waves through the external and middle ear is referred to as
conductive hearing
and the transmission of sound waves in the inner ear is referred to as
perceptive or “sensorineural hearing.”
Receptors are called
Mechanoreceptors
● Vibrates and transmits sound waves to the
ossicles
Tympanic membrane
Intensifies the vibration of the sound waves 22
time before transmittig it to the oval window
Ossicles
● Oval-shaped, thin membrane between the
middle ear and inner ear
Oval window
COCHLEA
● System of coiled tubes snail-like structure in the inner ear
● Filled with fluid called
perilymph or endolymph
Carries impulses to the brain which then interprets the impulses as sounds
Auditory nerve
○ Feel that room is spinning when at rest
○ Spinning sensation brought or worsened by
change in position
○ Spinning sensation change if you change
position
Most often results from a disturbance of structures involved with equilibrium and balance, which includes the inner ear and central nervous system.
Vertigo
○ Ringing or buzzing continuous or intermittent
○ Anything in particular seem to bring ringing
or buzzing sound
○ Ringing or buzzing sound pulsate
Tinnitus
Drainage from the ear
Purulent drainage - infection;
Clear or contains cerebral spinal fluid or blood - trauma.
Otorrhea
Ear pain; is a common symptom of ear disorders, particularly ear infections
Otalgia
small ears < 4 cm vertical height in adults. Seen in some genetic disorders
Microtia
large ears. 10 cm vertical height in adults
Macrotia
Crease earlobe, associated with heart conditions
Frank’s sign
associated with internal ear anomaly
Ear pits or sinuses
Associated with mental retardation
Low set ears
infection in the outer canal, often caused by bacteria or fungi; cause redness, pain, drainage and hearing loss
Otitis externa
surfer’s ear; benign bony overgrowths of the bony external auditory canal brought by exposure to cold wind and water combined
Exostosis
infection of the middle ear, air-filled space behind the eardrum that contains tiny vibrating bones of the ear
Otitis media
hole or tear in the thin tissue that separates the ear canal from the middle ear
Perforated Eardrum
presence of blood in middle ear; usually caused by trauma
Hemotympanum
cystic mass of epithelial cells in middle ear, caused by chronic otitis media
Cholesteatoma
Used in an exam of neurological function for
balance
Romberg’s test
a simple hearing screening tool using a tuning fork, helps differentiate between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss by comparing bone conduction in both ears
weber’s test
a hearing test that compares air conduction (sound heard through the ear canal) to bone conduction (sound heard through the skull) to help diagnose conductive or sensorineural hearing loss
Rinne test
a ___ would be related to a dysfunction of the external or middle ear (eg., impacted earwax, otitis media, foreign ob-ject, perforated eardrum, drainage in the middle ear, or oto-sclerosis).
conductive hearing loss
A ___ would be related to dysfunction of the inner ear (i.e., organ of Corti, cranial nerve VIII, or temporal lobe of brain).
sensorineural loss
this condition have ear cartilage that’s partially buried under their skin.
Cryptonia
Also known as lop ear or cup ear, this type of ear deformity happens when the upper rim of your ear is tight, wrinkled or folded over.
Constricted Ear
This condition causes ears to have a pointy shape. Babies with Stahl’s ear also have an additional fold of cartilage on their outer ear.
Stahl’s ears
A noncancerous growths consist of extra blood vessels. People of all ages can get this. They can appear anywhere on your body, including your outer ear and the salivary gland in front of your ear.
Hemangioma
Accessory tragus. Made of cartilage and skin, ear tags usually appear just in front of your baby’s ear or on their cheek. Another name for an ear tag is a brachial cleft remnant.
ear tags
Common among boxers, wrestlers and mixed martial artists, cauliflower ear results from a collection of blood between your cartilage and skin.
Cauliflower ear
It is the single most important diagnostic instrument in detecting hearing loss
Audiometry
Types of audiometry
Pure-tone audiometry
Speech audiometry
The louder the tone before the client perceives it, the greater the hearing loss
Pure tone audiometry
Spoken word is used to determine the ability
to hear and discriminate sounds and words. The louder the sound before the client perceives it, the greater the hearing loss
Speech audiometry
It measures middle ear muscle reflex to sound stimulation and compliance of the tympanic
membrane, by changing the air pressure in a sealed ear canal
Tympanogram or impedance audiometry
Irrigate the ear with cold water — then with warm water
Oculovestibular Test/ Ice water caloric test
Means that the patient has a hearing loss, which may be mild or severe
Deafness
means deafness of the elderly and it is a sensorineural hearing loss caused by the degeneration of the nervous tissue. It is
more common among men, over 50 years of age
Presbycusis
The most common site for referred pain is the
___, where infections more rarely, malignant
tumors are responsible
throat
