Ear mushkies Flashcards
What are the different types of audiometry?
- Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA)
- Tympanometry
- Evoked response audiometry
What is pure tone audiometry?
- Headphones deliver tones at different frequencies and strengths in a sound-proofed room, pt indicates when sound appears and disappears
- Thresholds at different frequencies are plotted to give an audiogram
- Mastoid vibrator can be used to measure bone conduction threshold
What is tympanometry?
- Measures the stiffness of the ear drum (evaluates middle ear function)
What is a flat tympanogram a sign of?
Mid-ear fluid or perforation
What is a shifted tympanogram a sign of?
+/- mid ear pressure
What is evoked response audiometry?
- Auditory stimulus with measurement of elicited brain response by surface elctrode
- Used for neonatal screening (if otoacoustic emission testing negative)
How can you classify the causes of otalgia?
Otologic and Non-otologic
How can you classify the otologic causes of otalgia?
External Ear
Middle Ear
Inner Ear
How can you classify the non-otologic causes of otalgia?
The 10 T's TMJ Tonsil Throat Tube (eustachian) Teeth Tongue Tics (glossopharyngeal) Trachea Thyroid Ten (cranial nerve X)
How does otitis externa present?
- Watery discharge
- Itch
- Pain and tragal tenderness
What are the causes of otitis externa?
- Moisture e.g. swimming
- Trauma e.g. fingernails
- Absence of wax
- Hearing aid
What are the main organisms that cause otitis externa?
- Mainly pseudomonas
2. Staph aureus
What is the management of otitis externa?
Aural toilet with drops
- Betamethasone for non infected eczematous OE
- Betamethasone with neomycin
- Hydrocortsone with gentamicin
- Acidifying drops
What is malignant otitis externa?
A life-threatening infection which can lead to skull osteomyelitis, where 90% of pts are diabetic
What is the presentation of malignant otitis externa?
- Severe otalgia worse at night
- Copious otorrhoea
- Granulation tissue in the canal
What is the treatment of malignant otitis externa?
- Surgical debridement
2. Systemic Abx
What is bullous myringitis?
Painful haemorrhagic blisters on deep meatal skin and tympanic membrane, associated with influenza infection
What is TMJ Dysfunction?
A umbrella term covering pain and dysfunction of the muscles of mastication and the temporomandibular joints
What are the symptoms of TMJ dysfunction?
- Earache (referred pain from auriculotemporal nerve)
- Facial pain
- Joint clicking/popping
- Teeth-grinding (bruxism)
- Stress (associated with depression)
What is the main sign of TMJ dysfunction?
Joint tenderness exacerbated by lateral movements of an open jaw
What is the main investigation for TMJ dysfunction?
MRI
What is the management of TMJ dysfunction?
- NSAIDs
2. Stabilising orthodontic occlusal prostheses
What is the classification of otitis media?
- Acute
- Glue ear (otitis media with effusion)
- Chronic (effusion >3m bilat or >6m unilat)
- Chronic suppurative (ear discharge with hearing loss and evidence of central drum perforation)
What organisms cause otitis media?
- Viral
2. Bacterial = Pneumococcus, Haemophilus, Moraxella
What is the treatment for acute otitis media?
- Paracetamol 15mg/kg
2. Amoxicillin (may use delayed prescrption)
How can you classify the complications of otitis media?
Intratemporal
Intracranial
Systemic
What are the intratemporal complications of otitis media?
- OME
- Perforation of tympanic membrane
- Mastoiditis
- Facial nerve palsy
What are the intracranial complications of otitis media?
- Meningitis/encephalitis
- Brain abscess
- Sub/epidural abscess
What are the systemic complications of otitis media?
- Bacteraemia
- Septic arthritis
- Infective endocarditis
How may otitis media with effusion (OME/glue ear) present?
- Inattention at school
- Poor speech development
- Hearing impairment
What might you see on audiometry with OME?
A flat tympanogram
What is the management of OME?
- Usually resolves spontaneously
2. Consider grommets if persistent hearing loss (s/e = infections and tympanosclerosis)
How does chronic suppurative otitis media present?
PAINLESS discharge and hearing loss
What might you see on examination of chronic suppurative otitis media?
Tympanic membrane perforation
What is the management of chronic suppurative otitis media?
- Aural toilet
2. Abx/steroid ear drops
What is a complication of chronic suppurative otitis media?
Cholesteatoma
What is mastoiditis?
Inflammation of the mastoid process, most commonly as a result of middle-ear inflammation which causes destruction of mastoid air cells with subsequent abscess formation
How does mastoiditis present?
- Fever
- Mastoid tenderness
- Protruding auricle
How do you diagnose mastoiditis?
CT
What is the management of mastoiditis?
- IV Abx
2. Myringotomy +/- mastoidectomy
What is a cholesteatoma?
A locally destructive expansion of stratified squamous epithelium within the middle ear
What is the classification of cholesteatomas?
- Congenital
2. Acquired = secondary to attic perforation in chronic suppurative OM
What is the presentation of cholesteatomas?
- Foul smelling white discharge
- Headache, pain
- CN involvement = vertigo, deafness, facial paralysis
What do you see on examination with cholesteatomas?
Appears pearly white with surrounding inflammation