Chapter 11 (Vocabulary) Ear Flashcards by Victoria Bussard

Abbreviations relating to ear, medical term
right ear
left ear
each ear
both ears

auris dexter
auris sinister
auris uterque
auris unit as

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Pertaining to the sense of hearing.

auditory

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Pertaining to sound or hearing.

acoustic

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The process by which sound waves enter the ear through the pinna & then travel down the external auditory canal until they strike the tympanic membrane, which is located btw the outer ear and middle ear.

air conduction (AC)

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This occurs as the eardrum vibrates and causes the auditory ossicles of the middle ear to vibrate. The vibration of these bones transmits the sound waves through the middle ear to the oval window of the inner ear.

bone conduction

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Occurs when these sound vibrations reach the inner ear. The structures of the inner ear receive the sound waves and relay them to the auditory nerve for transmission to the brain.

sensorineural conduction

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Specializes in the measurement of hearing function and in the rehabilitation of persons with hearing impairments.

audiologist

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An accumulation of earwax that forms a solid mass by adhering to the walls of the external auditory canal.

impacted cerumen (earwax)

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Pain in the ear - earache.

otalgia

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Any inflammation of the ear. The second part of the term gives the location of the inflammation.

otitis [example otitis externa is an inflammation of the external auditory canal.]

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A fungal infection of the external auditory canal.

otomycosis

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The flow of pus from the ear.

otopyorrhea

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Any discharge from the ear. In rare cases this could include leakage of cerebrospinal fluid.

otorrhea

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Bleeding from the ear.

otorrhagia

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A pressure related ear condition. These conditions can be caused by pressure changes when flying, driving in the mountains, scuba diving, or when the eustachian tube is blocked.

barotrauma

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A destructive epidermal cyst in the middle ear and/or the mastoid process made up of epithelial cells and cholesterol. It can be congenital or a serious complication of chronic otitis media.

cholesteatoma, aka pearly tumor

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An inflammation of any part of the mastoid bone cells. This condition may develop when acute otitis media that cannot be controlled with antibiotics spreads to the mastoid process.

mastoiditis

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A contagious inflammation that causes painful blisters on the eardrum. This condition is associated with a middle ear infection. It is not to be confused with infectious meningitis, which is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

infectious myringitis

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Inflammation of the middle ear.

otitis media

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Usually associated with an upper respiratory infection & is most commonly seen in young children. This condition can lead to a ruptured eardrum due to the buildup of pus or fluid in the middle ear.

acute otitis media

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A fluid buildup in the middle ear w/o symptoms of an infection. This condition can follow acute otitis media or can be caused by obstruction of the eustachian tube.

serous otitis

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The ankylosis of the bones of the middle ear, resulting in a conductive hearing loss. This condition is treated with a stapedectomy.

otosclerosis [Ankylosis means fused together.]

Inflammation of the labyrinth that can result in vertigo and deafness.

labyrinthitis

A sense of whirling , dizziness, and loss of balance that are often combined with nausea and vomiting. Although it is a symptom of many disorders, recurrent vertigo is sometimes associated with inner ear problems such as Meniere’s disease.

vertigo

A rare chronic disorder in which the amount of fluid in the inner ear increases intermittently, producing attacks of vertigo, a fluctuating hearing loss (usually in one ear), and tinnitus.

Meniere's disease

A condition of a ringing, buzzing, or roaring sound in one or both ears. It is often associated with hearing loss and is more likely to occur when there has been prolonged exposure to loud noises.

tinnitus

A brain tumor that develops adjacent to the cranial nerve running from the brain to the inner ear. This is one of the most common types of brain tumors and can cause hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus.

acoustic neuroma

The complete of partial loss of the ability to hear. It can range from the inability to hear sounds of a certain pitch or intensity, to a complete loss of hearing.

deafness

A gradual loss of sensorineural hearing that occurs as the body ages.

presbycusis

Occurs when sound waves are prevented from passing from the air to the fluid-filled inner ear. Caused of this hearing loss include a buildup of earwax, infection, fluid in the middle ear, a punctured eardrum, otosclerosis, and scarring. This type of hearing loss can often be treated.

conductive hearing loss

Develops when the auditory nerve or hair cells in the inner ear are damaged. This is usually due to age, noise exposure, or an acoustic neuroma. The source of this hearing loss can be located in the inner ear, in the nerve from the inner ear to the brain, or in the brain.

sensorineural hearing loss, aka nerve deafness

A type of nerve deafness caused by repeated exposure to extremely loud noises such as a gunshot, or to moderately loud noises that continue for long periods of time.

noise-induced hearing loss [Any sound above 85 decibels (dB) can cause some hearing loss if the exposure is prolonged.]

(1) Commonly used as the measurement of the loudness of sound. (2) Sound is measure in two ways - this is a measure of sound frequency that determines how high or low a pitch is.

decibel (dB) | hertz (Hz)

The measurement of the ability to hear and understand speech sounds based on their pitch and loudness. This testing is best achieved in a sound-treated room with earphones.

audiological evaluation, aka speech audiometry [The resulting graph is an audiogram that represents the ability to hear a variety of sounds at various loudness levels.]

The use of an audiometer to measure hearing acuity. An audiometer is an electronic device that produces acoustic stimuli of a set frequency and intensity.

audiometry

An instrument used to examine the external ear canal.

otoscope

A type of test that involves one ear. | A type of test that involves both ears.

monaural testing | binaural testing

The use of air pressure in the ear canal to test for disorders of the middle ear. This is used to test for middle ear fluid buildup or eustachian tube obstruction, or to evaluate a conductive hearing loss.

tympanometry [The resulting record is a tympa-nogram.]

Use of a tuning for to distinguish btw conductive and sensorineural hearing losses. The patient's perception of the tuning fork's vibrations help evaluate his or her hearing ability by air conduction compared to that of bone conduction.

Weber and Rinne tests

The surgical repair, restoration, or alteration of the pinna of the ear. This is sometimes done as a cosmetic surgery called ear pinning to bring the ears closer to the head.

otoplasty

Tiny ventilating tubes placed through the eardrum to provide ongoing drainage for fluids and to relieve pressure that can build up after childhood ear infections.

ear tubes, fka tympanostomy tubes

The surgical removal of the mastoid cells. This procedure is used to treat mastoiditis that cannot be controlled with antibiotics or in preparation for the placement of a cochlear implant.

mastoidectomy

A small surgical incision in the eardrum to relieve pressure from excess pus or fluid, or to create an opening for the placement of ear tubes.

myringotomy

The surgical removal of the top portion of the stapes bone and the insertion of a small prosthetic device known as a piston that conducts sound vibrations to the inner ear.

stapedectomy

The surgical correction of a damage middle ear, either to cure chronic inflammation or to restore function.

tympanoplasty

The surgical removal of all or a portion of the labyrinth. This procedure is performed to relieve uncontrolled vertigo; however, it causes complete hearing loss in the affected ear.

labyrinthectomy

A form of physical therapy designed to treat a wide variety of balance disorders, the majority of which are caused by problems in the inner ear and vestibular nerve.

vestibular rehabilitation therapy

Transmits, processes, or amplifies sound, and can be used with or withou a hearing aid.

Assistive listening devices (ALD) [An ALD can be helpful in eliminating distracting background noises. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that many public places provide assisted listening devices.

An electronic device that bypasses the damaged portion of the ear and directly stimulates the auditory nerve. The external speech processor captures sound & converts them into digital signals. Electrodes that are implanted in the cochlea receive the signals and stimulate the auditory nerve. The brain receives these signals & perceives them as sound.

cochlear implant

A surgical procedure in which a new opening is created in the labyrinth to restore lost hearing.

fenestration [fenestr/a = window]

An electronic device that is worn to correct a hearing loss. Sometimes a sensorineural hearing loss can be corrected with this device.

hearing aid

An external electronic device that uses a microphone to detect and amplify sounds.

analog hearing aid

Uses a computer chip to convert the incoming sound into a code that can be filtered before being amplified. This is designed to best compensate for a specific type of hearing loss.

digital hearing aid