ENT Flashcards
Allergic rhinitis Mx (4)
- Nasal irrigation with saline + advice
Mild-moderate
2. Intranasal antihistamines e.g azelastine hydrochloride PRN/ oral e.g loratadine/ ceterizine
Moderate- severe
3. Intranasal steroids e.g mometasone furoate, fluticasone furoate, or fluticasone propionate
Severe, uncontrolled
4. Consider short course of pred for 5-10 days
What is the first-line investigation for hearing difficulties? What is normal?
Audiograms
>20
Audiogram findings
Sensorineural hearing loss
Air and bone conduction are both impaired
Audiogram findings
Conductive hearing loss
Only air conduction is lost
Audiogram findings
Mixed hearing loss
Both are lost, but air conduction is worse than bone conduction
What is BPPV? Caused by Duration of symptoms Age Dx Mx (3)
Sudden onset of dizziness and vertigo triggered by changes in head position, usually lasts 10-20 seconds Caused by crystals of calcium carbonate (otoconia) get displaced. >55yo Dx Dix-Hallpike Mx 1. Epley manouvre 2. Betahistine 3. Vestibular rehabilitation
Black hairy tongue
What is it?
Defective desquamation (peeling) of the filiform papillae
(build-up of dead skin cells on tongue)
Colour can be brown/ green/ pink/ any colour
Black hairy tongue Predisposing factors (5)
- Poor oral hygiene
- HIV
- Abx use
- Head and neck radiation
- IVDU
Black hairy tongue
Mx (2)
- Swab to rule out candida and topical antifungals if +ve
2. Tongue scraping
Choleasteatoma
What is it?
Age
Non cancerous growth of squamous epithelium usually in the middle part of ear
Age 10-20yo
Choleasteatoma
Features (5)
Mx
- Hearing loss
- Foul smelling non resolving discharge
If local invasion: - Vertigo
- Facial paralysis
- Cerebellopontine angle syndrome/ unilateral hearing loss
Mx surgery - refer to ENT
What is cerebellopontine angle syndrome?
Unilateral hearing loss (85%), speech impediments, disequilibrium, tremors
Choleasteatoma
Dx - what do you see?
Otoscopy - attic crust seen in upper most part of eardrum
Chronic rhinosinusitis - symptoms for how many weeks? Predisposing factors (5)
> 12 weeks
- Swimming
- Smoking
- Recent infection
- Septal deviation/ polyps
- Atopy
Chronic rhinosinusitis
Features (5)
- Frontal pressure pain worse on bending forward
- Nasal discharge - clear, if thick and purulent then likely infection
- Post nasal drip - can lead to cough
- Nasal obstruction - mouth breathing
Chronic rhinosinusitis
Mx
- Avoid allergen
- Intranasal corticosteroids
- Nasal irrigation with saline
Red flags in chronic rhinosinusitis
- Unilateral symptoms
- Epistaxis
- Persistent symptoms after 3 months
Otitis externa
Causes
- Infection e.g Staphylococcus aureus/ Pseudomonas aeruginos/ fungal
- Seborrhoeic dermatitis
- Contact dermatitis
Otitis externa Rx (4)
- Topical abx - fluclox
- +/- topic steroid
- PO abx if severe
If fails to respond to topical rx then for ENT referral
What is malignant otitis externa and which group of patients is it most common in? Mx
Elderly diabetics
Infection spreads to bony ear canal and the soft tissues deep to the bony canal –> IV abx
Otitis media
When to prescribe abx? (5)
Mx
- Symptoms >4days
- Systemically unwell, but not requiring admission
- Immunocompromised
- <2yo with bilateral otitis media
- Perforation or discharge in ear
Abx amoxi - 5/7
Otitis media
Tympanic membrane signs:
Distinctly red, yellow, or cloudy and may be bulging.
Explain Rine’s + Weber’s
512Hz tuning fork
Rine’s air conduction (AC) should be better than bone conduction (BC) = positive test
If BC louder than AC = negative test and conductive hearing loss
Weber’s
Place on forehead
If louder on right side, could have right sided conductive hearing loss or left sided sensorineural hearing loss
What is Ramsay Hunt syndrome
Caused by?
Features (6)
Herpes Zoster 1. Paralysis of facial nerve 2. Rash around ear 3. Blisters can form in ear canal 4. Tinnitus + vertigo 5. Hearing loss 6. Auricular pain Rx oral aciclovir + steroids
Vertigo ddx (4)
- BPPV
- Meniere’s
- Vestibular neuronitis
- Viral labyrinthitis
Vertigo caused by excess build up of endolymph
Lasts minutes to hours
Caused by excess build up of endolymph
1. Hearing loss, increased hearing loss between attacks
2. Tinnitus
3. Aural fullness/ pressure (usually unilateral)
4. Not positional
5. Spontaneous nystagmus
6. Positive Romberg’s test
Meniere’s disease
Vertigo Recent viral infection Sudden onset Nausea and vomiting Hearing may be affected
Viral labyrinthitis
Vertigo Gradual onset Triggered by change in head position Each episode lasts 10-20 seconds No hearing loss
BPPV
Vertigo Recent viral infection Recurrent vertigo attacks lasting hours or days No hearing loss Horizontal nystagmus
Vestibular neuronitis
Vertigo
Elderly patient
Dizziness on extension of neck
Vertebrobasilar ischaemia
Vertigo
Hearing loss, vertigo, tinnitus
Absent corneal reflex is important sign
Associated with neurofibromatosis type 2
Acoustic neuroma/ vestibular schwannomas
Mx Meniere’s (2)
Driving
Acute 1. Buccal/ IM prochlorperazine Prevention 2. Betahistine Cease driving until satisfactory control of symptoms is achieved
Duration of symptoms
BPPV
Meniere’s
Vestibular neuronitis
BPPS 10-20seconds
Meniere’s minutes to hours
Vestibular neuronitis hours to days