Ear disorders Flashcards
List some symptoms involving the ear
Deafness Tinnitus Dizziness (vertigo) Otorrhoea (discharge) Otalgia (pain in the ear)
List some tests that can be used to investigate the ear
Suction under microscope (allows to see inside the ear more clearly) Pure tone audiogram Tympanogram CT/MRI Bacteriology swab
Describe the commonest disorder affecting the external ear
Otitis externa
- inflammation of the skin on the external meatus
- pain
- can also cause hearing loss due to swelling and discharge
Give five conditions that affect the middle ear
Acute otitis media Otitis media with effusion (glue ear) Chronic suppurative otitis media Tympanosclerosis Otosclerosis
What causes acute otitis media?
Bacterial infection underneath the ear drum
Ear drum bursts, releasing discharge and relieving pain
Rarely needs antibiotics
What causes otitis media with effusion? How is this treated?
Common in children due to immaturity of eustachian tube
In adults, may indicate an underlying tumour
Treatment is not always indicated. If indicated, treatment involves using a Grommet to release the discharge and relieve the pressure
What is chronic suppurative otitis media? Why is it important?
Where otorrhoea persists for more than 1 month
Can cause complications…
What is tympanosclerosis?
calcification of tissue in the eardrum and middle ear, including the tympanic membrane
What is otosclerosis?
genetically mediated metabolic dysplasia, affecting the bone surrounding the inner ear
- causes hearing loss ± tinnitus or vertigo
What sort of hearing loss can occur in otosclerosis?
low-frequency (although gets progressively worse)
Give five conditions that affect the inner ear
Presbyacusis
- hearing loss with old age, begins high frequency loss
Noise-induced deafness
Acoustic neuroma
- aka vestibular schwannoma
- causes unilateral sensory-neural hearing loss
- rare but always needs to be excluded
Meniere’s disease
- causes low-frequency hearing loss and spontaneous vertigo
Infections
- most commonly strep pneumoniae
Give five ear conditions that are considered medical emergencies
Foreign body in the ear Malignant (severe) otitis externa - presents with granulation tissue in the external meatus - osteomyelitis of the temporal bone - common cause = pseudomonas (needs antibiotics) Auricular haematoma Bell's palsy Complications of CSOM
What is cholesteatoma?
a cyst or sac of skin growing backwards behind the eardrum into the middle ear and mastoid.
- results in chronic, smelly discharge
- can damage delicate ear structures
- treated surgically
How can an ear infection cause facial palsy?
Infection can spread to the facial nerve and cause lower motor neurone facial weakness
What is Bell’s palsy?
acute, idiopathic facial palsy
