ENT Flashcards
What are pharyngeal arches?
embryonic structures that contribute to much of the face and neck
At what day does arch 1 develop?
22
At what day do arches 2+3 develop?
24
At what day do arches 4+6 develop?
29
What does each arch consist of?
Core of mesenchyme
Neural crest cells
Cranial nerve component
Artery (aortic arches)
What externally separates the arches?
Deep pharyngeal clefts with an ectodermal lining
What internally separates the arches?
Pharyngeal pouches with an endodermal lining
What nerve supplies arch I?
Trigeminal (maxillary and mandibular divisions)
What nerve supplies arch II?
Facial
What nerve supplies arch III?
Glossopharyngeal
What nerve supplies arch IV?
Vagus - superior laryngeal branch
What nerve supplies arch VI?
Vagus - recurrent laryngeal branch
What skeletal components arise from the 1st arch?
Maxilla zygomatic process part of the temporal bone Incus Malleus Mandible
What muscles and nerves arise from the 1st arch?
Muscles of mastication anterior belly of digastric mylohyoid tensor tympani tensor palatini Sensory supply to skin on face - trigeminal nerve
What skeletal components arise from the 2nd arch?
Stapes
Styloid process
Stylohyoid ligament
Lesser horn and upper part of hyoid
What muscles and nerves arise from the 2nd arch?
Muscles of facial expression stapedius stylohyoid posterior belly of digastric auricular muscles All supplied by the facial nerve
What structures arise from the 3rd arch?
Greater horn and lower part of hyoid
stylopharyngeus muscle
glossopharyngeal nerve
What structures arise from the 4th arch
cricothyroid
levator palatini
pharyngeal constrictors
What structures arise from the 6th arch?
intrinsic laryngeal muscle
What structures arise from the 1st pouch?
middle ear
eustachian tube
tympanic membrane
What structures arise from the 2nd pouch?
palatine tonsil
What structures arise from the 3rd pouch?
inferior parathyroid gland
thymus
What structures arise from the 4th pouch?
superior parathyroid gland ultimobranchial body (C cells of thyroid gland)
What structures arise from the 1st cleft?
external auditory meatus
What are otic placodes?
thickening of the ectoderm on the outer surface, from which the ear develops
otic placodes turn into otic vesicles - what process does this closely resemble
endocytosis
Where do the semicircular canals originate?
flattened outpocketings of the otic vesicles
What are the 3 semicircular canals?
Superior
Posterior
Lateral
What is the dilated end of the semicircular canals called?
Crus Ampullare
What is the non-dilated end of teh semicircular canals called?
Crus Nonampullare
what is the function of the crista ampullaris within the semicircular canals?
They have sensory cells which aid with balance
Also contain the vestibular fibres of CN VIII
Where does the cochlea arise from?
Saccular portion of the otic vesicles
Cochlear duct grows in spirals between weeks 6-8 and the surrounding mesenchyme becomes cartilaginous
What surrounds the cochlear duct?
Scala vestibuli and the scala tympani (both air spaces)
Spiral ganglion
Spiral ligament
Where does the organ of Corti arise from?
Cochlear duct on the basillar membrane
What is the organ of corti made up of?
Mechanosensory cells known as hair cells
What is the function of the tympanic cavity?
Amplification of sound
During development what happens in the EAM?
Month 3 - epithelial cells proliferate to form a meatal plug
Month 7 - this has dissolved and cells have become some of the tympanic membrane
What does the auricle of the ear originate from?
6 mesenchymal proliferactions (hillocks) surrounding the 1st pharyngeal cleft - 3 from arch 1 and 3 from arch 2
The hillock fuse to become the completed auricle
Where does the external ear travel from to get to its birth position?
Lower neck - must move due to development of mandible
What is anotia?
No development of ear buds
What is micronotia?
Small ears
What are preauricular appendages?
Extra tissue anterior to the ear proper
What is a preauricular pit?
Dent/dimple located anywhere adjacent to the ear proper
What is the range of sound in human hearing?
20-20,000Hz
What is the basic role of the external ear?
A reciever
What is the basic role of the middle ear?
An amplifier
How many times is sound amplified by in the tympanic cavity?
x22
What is the basic role of the eustachian tube?
ventilation for the middle ear
What muscles open the cartilaginous eustachian tube?
tensor veli palatini
levator palatine
What is the basic role of the inner ear?
receiver/transducer
What is the basic composition of the inner ear?
curved spiral lamina
2.5 turns around a central mediolus
What is contained in the scala media?
Endolymph
What is contained in the scala tympani and the scala vestibuli?
Perilymph
Where is high frequency sound transmitted on the cochlea?
Lower end
Where is low frequency sound transmitted on the cochlea?
Upper end
What is the organ of corti made up of?
inner and outer hair cells and a highly varied strip of epithelial cells
What is the purpose of the organ of corti?
transduction of auditory signals through vibrations of the inner ear structures, which causes displacement of the cochlear fluid and movement of the hair cells to produce APs
How do hair cells of the ear produce an electrical impulse?
Conversion of a mechanical bending force into an electrical signal
How are the hair cells arranged?
Stereocilia are arranged in height order, with tip links connecting them
What causes depolarisation of hair cells?
Cells deflected towards the longest one
What causes hyperpolarisation of the hair cells?
Cells deflected away from the longest one
Where in the brain is the primary auditory cortex located?
Superior temporal gyrus
What does 60% of our balance come from?
Eyes
How much of our balance comes from our ears?
15%
How much of our balance is mediated by the CNS?
10%
How much of our balance comes from proprioception?
15%
As well as all the factors and systems that contribute to our ability to balance, what other system plays a part? What role does it have?
Cardiac functions keep everythign runnign smoothly
What pathology of the eyes can affect our ability to balance?
Cataracts
DM eye disease
What pathology of the ears can affect our ability to balance?
AVN
Meniere’s disease
Migraine
BPPV - benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
What pathology affecting the CNS can affect our ability to balance?
Stress
Migraines
MS
Space-occupying lesion in the cranial vault
What pathology of proprioception can affect our ability to balance?
DM
Arthritis
Neuropathy
What cardiac pathology can affect our balance, and why?
Arrhythmias and postural hypotension can cause lightheadedness, being off-balance and feeling dissociated
What is the complex structure of the ear also referred to?
The labyrinth
What are the 5 key vestibular organs of the inner ear?
3 semicircular canals
2 otolith organs (utricle and saccule)
What lies within the maculae of the otolith organs?
Stereocilia projecting up into a gelatinous mix with otoconia (calcium carbonate crystals)
What is the purpose of the calcium carbonate crystals in the maculae of the otolith organs?
They lend weight and because of gravity, when we tilt our heads or travel in an elevator the brain perceives a movement known as linear motion
Stereocilia are orientated in all directions, so all movements are perceived; but what movements specifically do the saccule and occule detect?
Saccule = Vertical movement Utricle = horizontal movement
Where does the cupula sit in the semicircular canals?
In the ampulla
What causes deflection on the semicircular canals?
Movement of perolymph
What is the vestibulo-occular reflex?
Stabilises images on the retina during head movements, by producting eye movement in the opposite direction
What is spontaneous nystagmus?
Rhythmic, oscillating movements of the eyes - can be physiological or pathological
What do taste buds consist of?
Sensory receptor cells and support cells - arranged like orange slices
What is the lifespan of a taste receptor cell?
10 days
What type of nerve fibre do taste receptor cells synapse with?
afferent
What are the 4 types of papillae on the human tongue?
Filliform
Fungiform
Vallate
Foliate
What type of papillae does not contain taste buds?
Filliform
What happens when a taste provoking chemical (tastant) binds to a receptor cell on the tongue?
Produces a depolarising AP in afferent nerve fibres
Which cranial nerves are responsible for transferring taste from receptor cells to the brainstem?
VII -chorda tympani branch - anterior 2/3 of the tongue
IX - posterior 1/3 of tongue
X - epiglottis and pharynx etc.
What area of the brain are these signals conveyed to?
Cortical gustatory area
What are the 5 primary tastes?
Salty Sour Sweet Bitter Umami (meaty or savoury)
What are the salty taste receptors stimulated by?
chemical salts esp. NaCl
What are the Sour taste receptors stimulated by?
acids containing free hydrogen ions
What are the sweet taste receptors stimulated by?
configuration of glucose
What are the bitter taste receptors stimulated by?
alkaloids, poisonous substances, toxic plant derivatives etc.
What are the umami taste receptors stimulated by?
amino acids - esp. glutamate
What is a complete loss of taste function known as?
Ageusia
What can cause aguesia?
Nerve damage, local inflammation, some endocrine disorders
What is hypogeusia?
Reduced taste function
What causes a reduced taste function?
Chemo, medications etc.
What is dysgeusia?
Distorted taste function
What can cause a distorted taste function?
Glossitis Gum infection Tooth decay Reflux URTIs Medications Neoplasms Chemo Zinc deficiency
Where does the olfactory mucosa lie?
Ceiling of the nasal cavity (bilaterally)
What 3 cell types are contained within the olfactory mucosa?
olfactory receptor cells
supporting cells
basal cells (mucous secreting)
What are olfactory receptors?
specialised endings of renewable afferent neurons
What do neurons involved with the olfactory mucosa contain?
A thick, short dendrite
An expanded end (olfactory rod)
What projects from the olfactory rods into the olfactory mucosa?
Cilia
What is the function of the cilia of the nose?
Odorants bind to them
What is the life span of an olfactory receptor?
~2 months
Where to new olfactory receptor cells arise from?
Basal cells are the precursors
The axons of olfactory receptors collectively form afferent fibres of the olfactory nerve; where do these then go?
Pierce the cribriform plate of the ethmpid bone to enter the olfactory bulbs on the inferior brain surface. These then transmit information to the brain
In quiet breathing how do odorants reach smell receptors?
Diffusion only - olfactory mucosa is higher than normal path of airflow
What must a substance be to be smelled?
Sufficiently volatile and sufficiently water soluble
What is the complete inability to smell known as?
Anosmia
What can cause anosmia?
viral infections
allergies
nasal polyps
head injury
What is hyposmia?
Reduced ability to smell
Hyposmia has similar causes to anosmia, but what can hyposmia be an early sign of?
Parkinson’s disease
What is dysosmia?
Altered sense of smell
What cell type outlines the auditory meatus and external ear canal?
Epidermis (skin) cells with sebaceous and ceruminous glands
What cell types line the middle ear?
columnar-lined mucosa
What cell type lines the nasal vestibule?
Squamous
The nose and sinuses are lined by a Scheiderian epithelium - what does this contain?
a modified mucous membrane forming the epithelium part of the olfactory organ - identical to resp. mucosa (pseudostratified ciliated columnar)
What cell types line the throat?
respiratory and squamous epithelium
Are the salivary glands endocrine or exocrine?
Exocrine
What type of cells are in the salivary glands?
Peripheral myoepithelial cells - flat or cuboidal with a clear cytoplasm
What is otitis media?
inflammation of the middle ear
What bacteria can cause otitis media?
Strep pneumoniae
H. influenzae
Moxarella cattarhalis
(if chronic) pseudomaonas aueroginosa
What is a cholesteatoma?
abnormally situated squamous epithelium in the middle ear with associated kertain production and inflammation
What is a vestibular Schwannoma?
tumour of the schwann cells of CNVIII
occurs within the temporal bone
If a young patient presents with bilateral vestibular schwannoma, what alternative diagnosis should you consider?
NF type 2
What can cause nasal polyps?
allergies infection asthma aspirin sensitivity nickel exposure
Are nasal polyps sore to the touch?
Not usually no
Nasal polyps in young children are not common, what could these be a sign of?
Cystic fibrosis
What can cause rhinitis and sinusitis?
Infection - cold
allergies - hayfever, IgE type 1 hypersensitivity
What is wegener’s granulomatosis?
An autoimmune condition which presents as a small cell vasculitis limited to the repiratory tract and the kidneys
What antibody is associated with Wegener’s granulomatosis?
ANCA
Histologically what can be seen in Wegener’s granulomatosis?
blood vessel walls surrounded by inflammatory cells
How common are tumours of the nose?
relatively rare
What are some benign lesions of the nose?
squamous papillomas
“Schneiderian” papillomas
angiofibromas
What is the most common malignant lesion of the nose?
SCC
Where does nasophargyngeal carcinoma have a high incidence?
Far East
What is nasophargyngeal carcinoma associated with?
EBV
Volatile nitroamines in food
What carcinomas is EBV associated with?
Burkitt’s lymphoma
B-cell lymphomas
Hodgkin’s lymphoma