ENT conditions Flashcards
Describe Bell’s palsy
Acute, unilateral facial nerve weakness or paralysis of rapid onset & unknown cause
Most common between 15 and 45 years of age
List the symptoms of Bell’s palsy
Rapid onset (<72 hours)
Facial muscle weakness involving the upper and lower parts of the face
Ear and postauricular region pain on the affected side
Difficulty chewing, dry mouth & changes in taste
List the complications of Bell’s palsy
Eye injury
Facial pain
Dry mouth
Intolerance to loud noises
Abnormal facial muscle contraction during voluntary movements
Describe the diagnosis of Bell’s palsy
Can be made when no other medical condition is found to be causing facial weakness/paralysis
Have the typical symptoms of Bell’s palsy
Atypical features of Bell’s palsy require referral for exclusion of an alternative diagnosis
List differentials of Bell’s palsy
Stroke – forehead will be spared
Brain tumour
Traumatic injury to the facial nerve
Infectious – herpes simplex, Lyme disease, otitis media
Describe the management of Bell’s palsy
Advice: prognosis is good -> most people recover within 3-4 months, keep affected eye lubricated, wear sunglasses when outdoors, tape eye closed if they can’t close it at night
Treatment (people presenting within 72 hours): consider prescribing prednisolone
Refer urgently if there are worrying symptoms
Describe benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
A disorder of the inner ear characterised by repeated episodes of positional vertigo (symptoms occur with changes in the position of the head)
Most common cause of vertigo in clinical practice, most commonly 50-70s females
List symptoms of BPPV
Symptoms are brought on by specific movements & positions of the head relative to gravity
Vertigo occurs in transient episodes (usually last less than one min)
N&V
Hearing NOT affected & tinnitus NOT a feature
Describe the diagnosis of BPPV
Relevant symptoms
Examination – likely to be normal at rest in a sitting position, positive Dix-Hallpike manoeuvre
Investigations not usually required
List differentials of BPPV
Vestibular neuritis
Labyrinthitis
Meniere’s disease
Describe the management of BPPV
Advice: most people recover over several weeks, even without treatment, simple repositioning manoeuvre, advise person not to drive when they are suffering vertigo
Management: offer a particle repositioning manoeuvre (Epley manoeuvre) -> ideally this should be done at the first presentation; consider suggesting Brandt-Daroff exercises which person can do at home
Follow up in 4 weeks if symptoms have not resolved
What is a cholesteatoma?
Abnormal sac of keratinising squamous epithelium & accumulation of keratin within the middle ear/mastoid air cell spaces which can become infected & erode neighbouring structures
List symptoms of a cholesteatoma
Recurrent/chronic purulent aural discharge, may be unresponsive to abx treatment
Hearing loss or tinnitus
Less common – otalgia, vertigo or facial nerve involvement
Describe the diagnosis of cholesteatoma
Relevant symptoms
If suspected, ask the person about any pre-existing ear disease/surgery
Examination (requires clear visualisation of the tympanic membrane) – ear discharge, deep retraction pocket in the tympanic membrane, crust/keratin in the upper part of the tympanic membrane
List differentials of cholesteatoma
Otitis media with effusion
Otitis externa
Tympanosclerosis
Describe the management of cholesteatoma
Arrange urgent referral to ENT – investigations carried out will include an audiology assessment and a CT scan
Prior to surgical treatment, aural discharge may be treated with topical abx (canal wall up mastoidectomy)
Emergency admission – facial nerve palsy/vertigo, other neurological symptoms/signs that could be associated with development of an intracranial abscess/meningitis
What is glandular fever?
Infection most commonly caused by EBV
Spread mainly through contact with saliva eg. kissing or sharing food and drink, spread during sexual contact
Lifelong latent carrier state
Most common aged 15-24 years
Describe the symptoms of glandular fever
Fever
Lymphadenopathy
Sore throat (usually severe)
Prodromal symptoms: lasts for several days & includes general malaise, fatigue, myalgia, chills
Non-specific rash
List complications of glandular fever
Upper airways obstruction
Splenic rupture
Neutropenia
Immunocompromised – may result in malignancies eg. Hodgkin’s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma
List differentials of glandular fever
Streptococcal sore throat
Local infection or inflammation
Lymphoma or metastatic solid tumour
Cytomegalovirus primary infection
Describe the management of glandular fever
Use paracetamol and/or ibuprofen
Advice: symptoms usually last 2-4 weeks, exclusion from work/school is not necessary, return to normal activities as soon as possible
Advise the patient to seek urgent medical advice if:
- Develop stridor
- Difficulty swallowing/have signs of dehydration
- Become systemically very unwell
- Develop abdominal pain