ENT Flashcards
What is conductive hearing loss?
Sensory system is working fine but the sound is not reaching it - problem with the sound travelling
What is sensorineural hearing loss?
Problem with the sensory system or vestibulocochlear nerve
What are the three bones in the middle ear?
Malleus
Incus
Stapes
What is Weber’s test?
Tuning fork in the centre of patient’s forehead
Which ear is loudest
In sensorineural: sound louder in normal ear
In conductive: sound louder in affected ear
What is Rinne’s test?
Tuning fork to mastoid process
Move to in front of ear
Normal is for air conduction to be better than bone conduction
Abnormal is bone conduction is better
Abnormal suggests conductive hearing loss
What are causes of sensorineural hearing loss?
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (over less than 72 hrs)
Presbycusis (age-related)
Noise exposure
Ménière’s disease
Labyrinthitis
Acoustic neuroma
Neurological conditions
Infections
Medications (loop diuretics, amino glycoside antibiotics, chemo - furosemide, gentamicin, cisplatin)
Causes of conductive hearing loss
Ear wax
Infection
Fluid in the middle ear
Eustachian tube dysfunction
Perforated tympanic membrane
Otosclerosis
Cholesteatoma
Exostoses
Tumours
Causes of conductive hearing loss
Ear wax
Infection
Fluid in the middle ear
Eustachian tube dysfunction
Perforated tympanic membrane
Otosclerosis
Cholesteatoma
Exostoses
Tumours
What is plotted on the x axis in an audiogram?
Frequency
What is plotted on the y axis in an audiogram?
decibels (but with loud at the bottom and quiet at the top)
So better hearing is higher up on the y axis
What do X ] O and [ stand for in audiometry?
X - left sided air conduction
] left sided bones conduction
O right sided air conduction
[ right sided bone conduction
What is the normal hearing range for audiometry?
Between 0 and 20 dB
What is the difference on audiometry between sensorineural and conductive hearing loss?
Sensorineural: both bone and air conduction will be lower
Conductive: only air conduction is lower than normal
Mixed: Both are lower than normal but air conduction is more lower than bone
What is presbycusis?
Age-related hearing loss
Sensorineural, high pitched sounds first
What is the pathophysiology of presbycusis?
Several different mechanisms
Loss of hair cells in the cochlea
Loss of neurones in the cochlea
Atrophy of the stria vascular
Reduced end-lymphatic potential
What is one way of managing idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss?
Oral or intra-tympanic steroids
What can happen when there is Eustachian tube dysfunction?
Unequal air pressure
Middle ear can fill with fluid
Reduced or altered hearing
Popping noises or sensations
A fullness sensation in the ear
Pain or discomfort
Tinnitus
What is tympanometry?
Creating different air pressures in the canal and measuring sound absorbed and reflected
Sounds is absorbed best when the air pressure matches the ambient air pressure
In Eustachian tube dysfunction, a tympanogram will show peak admittance (absorption) with negative ear canal pressures
What are the treatment options for Eustachian tube dysfunction?
Valsalva manoeuvre
Decongestant nasal sprays
Antihistamines and steroid nasal spray
Surgery (adenoidectomy, grommets, balloon dilatation eustachian tuboplasty)
What is otosclerosis?
Remodelling of the small bones in the middle ear leading to conductive hearing loss
Is otosclerosis more common in men or women?
Women
What is the normal presentation for otosclerosis?
Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus
Affecting lower-pitched sounds more than higher pitched sounds
Sensorineural is intact so patients can experience their voice as being loud even if they are talking quietly
What is a stapedectomy in otosclerosis management?
Surgical removement of the stapes bone and replaces it with a prosthesis
What is the presentation of vestibular neuritis?
Acute onset of vertigo
Recent history of viral URTI
Often associated with nausea and vomiting and balance problems
Essential to differentiate between peripheral and central causes - any neurological symptoms, consider a posterior circulation infarction
Don’t get tinnitus or hearing loss - if present consider labyrinthitis or menieres disease
What is the head impulse test in vestibular neuronitis?
Patient sat upright and fixing gaze on examiners nose
Examiner rapidly jerks it 10-20 degrees left or right while the patient continues looking at the examiner’s nose. Repeat opposite direction.
Abnormal result: eyes will saccade (rapidly move back and forth).
Normal: no current symptoms or central cause
What is the management for vestibular neuronitis?
Prochlorperazine
Antihistamines (e.g. cyclising, cinnarizine, promethazine)