Ear, Nose and Throat Flashcards
audiometry
Quantify loss and determine nature
Pure tone audiometry
headphones at different frequencies and strengths in soundproofed room
pt indicates when sound appears and siappears
mastoid vibrator - bone conduction threshold
threshold at different frequencies plotted to give audiogram
Tympanometry
Measures stiffness of ear drum
- evaluates middle ear function
flat tympanogram - mid ear fluid or perforation
Shifted tympanogram - +/- mid ear pressure
Evoked response audiometry
auditory stimulus w measurement of elicited brain response by surface electrode
used for neonatal screening if otoacoustic emission testing negative
Otitis Externa
Presentation (otalgia)
- watery discharge
- itchy
- pain + tragal tenderness
Causes Moisture: e.g. swimming Trauma: e.g. fingernails Absence of wax Hearing aid
Organisms
Mainly pseudomonas
Staph aureus
Management Aural toilet w drops Betamethasone for non-infected eczematous OE Betamethasone w neomycin Hydrocortisone w gentamicin Acidifying drops
Malignant Otitis Externa
Life-threatening infection which can > skull osteomyelitis
90% pt diabetic (or other immunocompromisation)
Presentation
Severe otalgia which is worse @ night
Copious otorrhoea
Granulation tissue in the canal
Rx
Surgical debrdement
Systemic Abx
Bullous Myringhitis
Painful haemorrhagic blisters on deep meatal skin and TM.
Assoc. c¯ influenza infection
TMJ Dysfunction
Sx - otalgia (earache) - referred pain from auriculotemporal nerve
- facial pain
- joint clicking/popping
- teeth-grinding (burxism)
- stress (assw depression)
Signs
- joint tenderness exacerbated by lateral movement of open jaw
Ix - MRI
Mx - NSAIDs
- stabilising orthodontic occlusal prostheses
Otitis Media
Classification
Classification
Acute: acute phase
Glue ear / OME: effusion after symptom regression
Chronic: effusion > 3mo if bilat or > 6mo if unilat
Chronic suppurative OM: Ear discharge c¯ hearing
loss and evidence of central drum perforation.
Organisms
- Viral
- Pneumococcus
- Haemophilus
- Moraxella
Acute Otitis Media
Presentation Usually children post viral URTI Rapid onset ear pain, tugging @ ear. Irritability, anorexia, vomiting Purulent discharge if drum perforates
o/e
Bulging, red TM
Fever
Rx
Paracetamol: 15mg/kg
Amoxicillin: may use delayed prescription
Acute Otitis Media Compliciations
Intratemporal OME Perforation of TM Mastoiditis Facial N. palsy
Intracranial
Meningitis / encephalitis
Brain abscess
Sub- / epi-dural abscess
Systemic
Bacteraemia
Septic arthritis
IE
Otitis MEdia Externa (glue ear)
Presents
- inattention at school
- poor speech development
- hearing impairment
O/E - retracted dull TM
- fluid level
Ix - audiometry flat tympanogram
Rx - usually resovles spontaneously
- consider grommets if persistent hearing loss
> SE infections, tympanosclerosis
Chronic Suppurative OM
Presentation - painless discharge and hearing
O/E - TM perforation
Rx - aural toilet
- abx/steroids ear drops
Complications - cholesteatoma
Mastoiditis
Middle-ear inflam > destruction of mastoid air cells + abscess formation
Presentation - fever, mastoid tenderness, protruding auricle
Imaging CT
Rx - IV abx
- myringotomy +/- mastoidectomy
Cholesteatoma
Locally destructive expansion of stratified squamous epithelium within middle ear
Classification
- congenital
- acquired 2ndary to attic perforation in chronic suppurative OM
Presentation - Foul smelling white discharge - headache, pain - CN involvement > vertigo, deafness, facial paralysis
O/E - appears pearly white w surrounding inflammation
Mx - Surgery
Cholesteatoma Complications
Deafness (ossicle destruction)
Meningitis
Cerebral abscess
Tinnitus
Sensation of sound w/o external sound stimulation
Causes Specific Meniere’s Acoustic neuroma Otosclerosis Noise-induced Head injury Hearing loss: e.g. presbyacusis
General
↑BP
↓Hb
Drugs Aspirin Aminoglycosides Loop diuretics EtOH
Tinnitus History
Character: constant, pulsatile
Unilateral: acoustic neuroma
FH: otosclerosis
Alleviating/exacerbating factors: worse @ night?
Associations
Vertigo: Meniere’s, acoustic neuroma
Deafness: Meniere’s, acoustic neuroma
Cause: head injury, noise, drugs, FH
Tinnitus Examination Ix Mx
Examination
Otoscopy
Tuning fork tests
Pulse and BP
Ix
Audiometry and tympanogram
MRI if unilateral to exclude acoustic neuroma
Mx
Treat any underlying causes
Psych support: tinnitus retraining therapy
Hypnotics @ night may help
Vertigo
Causes
Illusion of movement
Cause
Peripheral/vestibular
- Meniere’s
- BPV
- Labyrinthitis
Central - Acoustic neuroma - MS - vertebrobasilar insufficiency/stroke head injury - inner ear syphilis
Drugs (central/ototoxic) Gentamicin Loop diuretics Metronidazole Co-trimoxazole
Veritogo Hx + Examination + tests
Hx
Is it true vertigo or just light-headedness?
> Which way are things moving?
Timespan
Assoc. symptoms: n/v, hearing loss, tinnitus, nystagmus
Examination and Tests Hearing Cranial nerves Cerebellum and gait Romberg’s +ve = vestibular or proprioception Hallpike manouvre Audiometry, calorimetry, LP, MRI
Meniere’s Disease
presentation
Dilatation of endolymph space of membranous labryrinth (endolymphatic oedema)
Presentation
- Attacks occur in clusturs + last up to 12 hours
- progressive SNHL (sensnorineural hearing loss)
- vertigo + N/v
- tinnitus
- aural fullness
Meniere’s Disease
Ix Rx
Ix - audiometry shows low-freq SNHL which fluctuates
Rx
Medical - vertigo, cyclizine, betahistine
Surgical - gentamicin instillation via grommets
- Saccus decompression
Vestibular Neuronitis/Viral labyrinthitis
Presentation
- following febrile illness (URTI)
- sudden vomiting
- severe vertigo exacerbated by head movement
Rx
- Cyclizine
- Improvement in days
Benign positional vertigo (BPV)
Displacement of otoliths in semicircular canals
- common after head injury
Presents
- sudden rotational vertigo for <30s
> provoked by head turning
- nystagmus
Causes
- idiopathic
- head injury
- otosclerosis
- post-viral
Dx - hallpike manoeuvre > upbeat torsional nystagmus
Rx
- self-limiting
- epley manoeuvre
- betahistine - histamine analogue
Conductive Adult Hearing Loss
Impaired conduction between auricle and round window
External canal obstruction
Wax
Pus
Foreign body
TM perforation
Trauma
Infection
Ossicle defects
Otosclerosis
Infection
Trauma
Inadequate eustachian tube ventilation of middle ear
Sensorineural Adult Hearing Loss
Defects of cochlrea, cochlear Nerve or brain
Drugs
- aminoglycosides
- vancomycin
Post-infective
- meningitis
- measles
- mumps
- herpes
Misc
- Meniere’s
- Trauma
- MS
- CPA lesion (acoustic neuroma)
- low B12
Acoustic Neuroma/Vestibular Schwannoma
Benign slow growing tumour of superior vestibular nerve
Acts as SOL > cerebellar pontine angle syndrome
assw NF2
Acoustic Neuroma/Vestibular Schwannoma
Presentation
Slow onset, unilat SNHL, tinnitus ± vertigo
Headache (↑ICP)
CN palsies: 5,7 and 8
Cerebellar signs
Acoustic Neuroma/Vestibular Schwannoma
Ix DDx Rx
Ix
MRI of cerebellopontine angle
>MRI all pts. c¯ unilateral tinnitus / deafness
PTA
Differential
Meningioma
Cerebellar astrocytoma
Mets
Rx
Gamma knife
Surgery (risk of hearing loss)
Otosclerosis
AD fixation of stapes at oval window F>M
Presents
- early adult life bilateral conductive deafness + tinnitus
- HL improved in noisy places - Willis paracousis
- worsened by pregnancy menstruation/menopause
Ix - PTA shows dip Caharts notch at 2kHz
Rx - hearing aid or stapes implant
Presbyacussis
Age related hearing loss
Presentation - >65y
- bilateral slow onset
- +/- tinnitus
Ix PTA
Rx - hearing aid
Congenital Hearing loss in Children
Conductive
Anomalies of pinna, external auditory canal, TM or ossicles.
Congenital cholesteatoma
Pierre-Robin
SNHL
AD - Waardenburgs: SNHL, heterochromia + telecanthus
AR
Alport’s: SNHL + haematuria
Jewell-Lange-Nielson: SNHL + long QT
X-linked - Alport’s
Infections: CMV, rubella, HSV, toxo, GBS
Ototoxic drugs
Perinatal causes of hearing loss
anoxia
cerebral palsy
kernicterus
infection - meningitis
Acquired causes of hearing loss in children
OM/OME
infection - meningitis, measles
head injury
Universal Neonatal Hearing Tests
Detection + Mx of hearing loss before 6mo improves language
Tests
- otoacoustic emissions
- audiological
Congenital Anomalies
1st and 2nd branchial arches form auricle while 1st
branchial groove forms external auditory canal.
Malfusion → accessory tags/auricles and preauricular pits, fistulae or sinuses.
Sinuses may get infected, mimicking a sebaceous
cyst.