Earache Flashcards
What are the different anatomic landmarks of the ear? (TN)
What are 4 questions on history that should be asked of all patients presenting with earache?
- Hearing loss
- Tinnitus
- Vertigo
- Aural discharge
What are 2 sources of earache that should always be considered?
- Local
- Referred
What are 9 local causes of earache
- Infection
- Otitis Media
- Otitis Externa
- Malignant Otitis Externa
- Mastoiditis
- Herpes Zoster
- Trauma
- Barotrauma
- Traumatic perforation
- Cerumen impaction
- Wegener’s granulomatosis
- Cholesteatoma
What is mastoiditis? (TN)
- Infection (usually subperiosteal) of mastoid air cells, most commonly seen approximately 2 weeks after onset of untreated or inadequately treated acute suppurative otitis media (same organisms)
What clinical triad is suggestive of mastoiditis? (TN)
- Otorrhea
- Tenderness to pressure over the mastoid
- Retroauricular swelling with protruding ear
- Can also see
- Fever
- Hearing loss
- +/- TM perforation (late)
How is mastoiditis treated? (TN)
- IV antibiotics
- Surgical debridement
How can Herpes Zoster cause earache and what can it be associated with?
- CN VII – can have concurrent Bell’s Palsy with pain and rash
- Associated with vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss
What are 2 risk factors for malignant otitis externa?
- Diabetes
- Immunocompromise
What are 3 findings associated with malignant otitis externa?
- Refractory OE
- Pain disproportionate
- Granulation tissue on floor of external auditory canal
What is the cause of malignant otitis externa and how is it treated?
- Pseudomonas (99%)
- Admit for IV Cipro
What are 5 findings associated with Wegener’s Granulomatosis?
- Arthralgia
- Hearing loss
- Oral/Nasal ulcers
- Rhinorrhea
- Myalgias
What is the presumed diagnosis for patients presenting with ear discharge (otorrhea) and (conductive) hearing loss?
- Cholesteatoma
What are 5 findings that can be seen with a cholesteatoma?
- Superior TM retraction (retraction pocket)
- Pearly white spots on TM (granulation tissue)
- Foul otorrhea
- TM perforation
- Conductive hearing loss
What are 11 causes of earache due to referred pain?
- The 11 Ts
- Teeth – cavities and abscess
- Tongue
- Trismus – spasm of mastication muscle, early sign of tetanus
- TMJ dysfunction
- Tonsillitis
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Throat neoplasm
- Risks: alcohol, smoking, age <50
- Refer to ENT
- Tracheitis
- Thyroiditis
- Thoracid aortic aneurysm and CAD
- ECG, CXR, Trop
- Temporal arteritis
- Patient older than 50, PMR, constitutional symptoms, visual disturbances
- Exam: tender artery/scalp, decreased temporal artery pulsation, eye exam
- Get ESR
- *Cervical arthritis
- Referred from C2 and C3 nerve roots
What is the definition of AOM? (DFCM)
- Presence of inflammation in the middle ear accompanied by rapid onset of signs and symptoms of an otalgia and decreased hearing
What is the definition of MEE? (DFCM)
- Presence of fluid in the middle ear without signs and symptoms of an acute ear infection
What are 2 possible causes of MEE? (DFCM)
- Inflammatory response following an episode of AOM
- Spontaneously due to poor Eustachian tube function (post-URTI, seasonal allergies, airplane travel)
What symptoms may children experience with a MEE? (DFCM)
- Transient hearing loss
How can a MEE be diagnosed on examination? (CPS)
- Little or no mobility of the TM when both positive and negative pressure is applied using a pneumatic otoscope
- Loss of bony landmarks
- Presence of an air-fluid level
How long do sterile MEE persist for typically? (DFCM)
- 1 month in 50% of children
- 3 months in 30% of children (10% in MUMS)
- Most resolve over 12 weeks with no intervention necessary
Are decongestants, antihistamines or steroids recommended for MEE? (DFCM)
- Not in children
- Decongestants may offer symptomatic relief in adults
What is the single most effective modifiable risk factor for MEE? (DFCM)
- Discontinue exposure to passive smoking
How should MEE be managed? (DFCM)
- Follow-up recommended at 3 month intervals until the effusion has resolved
- Refer to ENT in the presence of significant hearing loss or structure abnormalities of the tympanic membrane
At what ages do the majority of AOM occur? (DFCM)
- <6 years
What is believed to have lowered the incidence of AOM in Canada? (CPS)
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- PCV7 decreased incidence by 13% to 19%
- PCV13 introduced in 2011 reduced further
What are 11 risk factors for acute otitis media? (CPS)
- Early age of first AOM
- Male sex
- Down’s syndrome
- Orofacial abnormalities (clef palate)
- Daycare attendance
- Household crowding
- Cigarette smoke exposure
- Pacifier use
- Shorter duration of breastfeeding
- Prolonged bottle-feeding while lying down
- Family history of AOM
Why is the incidence of AOM higher in children than adults? (CPS)
- Children acquire viral infections more often
- Can cause Eustachian tube dysfunction or obstruction which impairs the normal mechanism that allows drainage of fluid in the middle ear
- Fluid stasis can be lead to colonization with bacteria
- Children have shorter and more horizontal ETs than adults
What are 6 pathogens that can cause AOM and their relative proportion?
- Steptococcus pneumoniae (40%)
- Nontypeable Haemophilus influenza (25%) – less severe (more likely to resolve)
- Moraxella catarrhalis (10%) – less severe (more likely to resolve)
- Group A Streptococcus (2%)
- Staphylococcus aureus (2%)
- Viral (20-30%)
What are 6 nonspecific symptoms that can be found in AOM? (DFCM)
- Irritability
- Fever
- Night-waking
- Poor feeding
- Cold symptoms
- Conjunctivitis
What is the most sensitive and specific indicator on examination for acute inflammation consistent with AOM? (CPS)
- Bulging TM
What finding on otoscopy also strongly supports a bacterial cause? (CPS)
- Acute perforation with purulent discharge (otorrhea) in the setting of AOM
What are 2 causes of an erythematous TM on examination? (CPS)
- Crying
- Infection
What are 2 aspects required for the diagnosis of AOM on physical exam?
- Diagnosis should NOT be made if there is no middle ear effusion (MEE)
- Diagnosis requires full visualization of ear drum – i.e. no ear wax
What are the 3 diagnostic criteria required to diagnose AOM? (CPS)
- Abrupt onset of symptoms (otalgia or suspected otalgia)
- Middle Ear Effusion (MEE)
- Middle Ear Inflammation (MEI) – doesn’t indicate AOM unless MEE
- Erythema of TM
- Distinct otalgia
- If only fever and a red ear drum, look for another cause
What are 6 findings seen with a Middle Ear Effusion (MEE)?
- Loss of landmarks
- Bulging TM
- Opacity of TM
- Fluid behind TM
- Otorrhea
- Decreased mobility of eardrum on tympanography
For children >6 months of age with suspected AOM that have MEE present AND bulging tympanic membrane, how should they be managed? (CPS)
- Moderately or severely ill = treat
- Irritable, difficulty sleeping, poor response to antipyretics, severe otalgia OR
- ≥39C in ABSENCE of antipyretics OR
- >48h of symptoms
- Mildly ill = observe 24h to 48 h
- Alert, response, no rigors, responding to antipyretics, mild otalgia, able to sleep AND
- <39C in absence of antipyretics AND
- <48h of illness
What are 3 findings that are associated with a diagnosis of moderate-severe AOM?
- Moderate-severe pain
- Pain persisting >48h
- Fever >39
What are 2 considerations in the treatment of AOM?
- Pain management
- Antibiotics
How should pain be treated in patients with AOM?
- Tylenol 15 mg/kg q6h (max 75 mg/kg/day)
- Advil 10mg/kg q6h (max dose 400 mg, max daily dose 40 mg/kg/day)
How should adults with AOM be treated? (DFCM)
- Start antibiotic therapy immediately
- If no improvement in 48-72 hours, patient should be re-examined as there may be a new focus of infection or inadequate therapy