ENT + MaxFax Flashcards
Red flags for rhinorrhoea
USC:
Unilateral nasal obstruction, bloody discharge, or mass- sinonasal malignancy
Abnormal facial sensation, visual disturbance
Admit:
CSF rhinorrhoea if recent head injury
Foreign body in children (unilateral foul discharge)
Allergic rhinitis treatment
Loratadine 10 mg OD/cetirizine 10 mg OD
Fexofenadine 120 to 180 mg OD
Mometasone 50mcg 2 sprays each nostril OD. 1 spray each nostril once a day when controlled
Avamys 2nd line, dymista 3rd line
Saline irrigation
Decongestants 3-5 days
Nasal antihistamine azelastine 1 spray BD
Montelukast if also asthmatic
Red flags anosmia
USC if anosmia >6 weeks associated with:
-any neurological symptoms
-unilateral nasal bleeding
-a neck lump >3 weeks
Anosmia associated with a recent head or neck injury (admit)
Dangers of anosmia – the smell of smoke, natural gas, and rotting food cannot be detected
Red flags dysphagia
Unable to swallow saliva due to food bolus obstruction or foreign body (admit)
USC if progressive dysphagia or weight loss
ENT oropharyngeal, direct gastroscopy of oesophageal
Causes odynophagia
Pain on swallowing
Infections -candida, HSV, CMV.
Chemical -drugs, radiation,
Crohn’s disease, severe reflux.
Xerostomia (dry mouth) – drugs, Sjogren’s syndrome.
Oesophageal malignancy.
Symptoms and causes of pharyngeal vs oesophageal dysphagia
Pharyngeal:
Delayed or difficulty initiating swallowing and may be associated with coughing, choking or nasal regurgitation
Chest infections
Feels food gets stuck at throat level
Wet/gurgling voice
If hoarseness, dysphonia, nasal speech and dysphagia, consider muscular dystrophies
Parkinson disease, MS, stroke, MND, pharynx tumour.
Oesophageal:
Few seconds after swallowing
Motility disorders, e.g. achalasia, scleroderma (intermittent symptoms)
Oesophageal cancer if weight loss, smoking, alcohol, Barrett’s oesophagus or rapidly progressive dysphagia
Reflux if slower onset
Eosinophilic oesophagitis if associated with atopy, or asthma
Examination for dysphagia
Watch dry swallow then with water
Check cranial nerves, look for muscle weakness, spasticity, tongue atrophy, facial asymmetry, sensory changes.
Looks for tremor/rigidity (PD)
Red flags for ear discharge
Sepsis
Mastoiditis (pinna pushed forward and fever> 38ºC)
Signs of intracranial infection (fever and headache
Facial palsy
Recent head injury with CSF leak
Chronic suppurative otitis media or cholesteatoma or grommet
Persistent, offensive ear discharge, lasting longer than 6 weeks, which is usually painless.
Otomize, review fortnightly until discharge resolved, then again in 4 weeks. If no improvement at 2 weeks, swab and ENT advice
Red flags facial pain
Suspected intracranial malignancy, e.g. severe constant headache that is worse in the mornings and associated with nausea or focal neurology
Suspected meningitis
Differentials for jaw pain
TMJ dysfunction
Temporal arteritis
Migraine
Trigeminal neuralgia
Dental problems
Shingles
Other ENT disorders, e.g. head and neck cancers, salivary gland disorders
When do you refer to maxfax for TMJD?
Same day if open lock
Urgent referral if closed lock
Routine ref:
-Pain or reduced function with known inflammatory or degenerative joint disease.
-Recurrent joint dislocation
-Congenital or development deformities of the face and jaw.
-No resolution within 3 months
Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms and treatment
Unilateral, episodic, lancinating “electric shock like” pains
Minimal triggers, e.g. the cold, wind, eating, brushing teeth, applying make up, shaving
Trial carbamazepine after checking LFTs + rpt 6 weekly until stable dose
Assess response after 2-3 weeks:
Good response-routine neurosurgery ref + MRI trigeminal nerve
No response, wean off carbamazepine + routine maxfax ref (unlikely TGN)
Severe, malnutrition: urgent neurosurg ref
Red flags hearing loss
Acute ENT assessment in children if:
Sudden onset of hearing loss that is not associated with URTI
Offensive discharge associated with hearing loss
Arrange emergency assessment if sudden onset hearing loss:
associated with neurological symptoms, e.g. dizziness, cerebellar signs or symptoms.
with significant head injury.
For unexplained sudden onset of hearing loss, seek ENT advice about emergency assessment.
Routine ENT ref if:
asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss.
perforation persists for 6 weeks or longer.
If chronic hearing loss ref audiology
If chronic conductive hearing loss and:
polyp with offensive discharge (suspected cholesteatoma)-ENT advice.
benign bony growth-routine ENT ref
Childhood hearing loss history
Delay in speech or language development
Frequently bored, fidgety, or uncooperative
Mispronouncing words
Recent infection or trauma
Routine child audiology referral criteria
Concerns about hearing loss.
Concerns about their hearing or glue ear but no other ENT symptoms.
Otitis media> 3 months
Speech, language, or developmental delays.
Previous/current hearing aid user +new concerns.
Unilateral or bilateral sensorineural hearing loss or congenital hearing loss.
Suspected retraction of TM or cholesteatoma
Risk factors hearing loss
Noise exposure in job/hobbies
Water exposure
Head injury
Diabetes, HTN, autoimmune disease, vascular disease, neurofibromatosis type 2, sarcoidosis
Previous otological surgery
FHx of hearing loss or otosclerosis
Sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss management
If otoscopy normal and RInne/Weber suggest sensorineural, ENT advice re urgent audiology and PO prednisolone 1 mg/kg to a maximum of 60 mg once a day for 7 days then wean
Mouth ulcer underlying conditions
Food allergy, e.g. chocolate, cinnamon, benzoate
Nutritional deficiencies, B12, iron, folic acid, B vitamins
Coeliac disease
IBD
Behçet’s disease
Immunodeficiencies, HIV and cyclic neutropenia
Nicorandil, methotrexate
Cancer
FBC, B12, folate, ferritin, anti‑tTG
Red flags oral lesions
Suspicious oral and oropharyngeal (tongue, hard or soft palate, uvula, floor of mouth) lesion or mass with:
Erythroplakia and erythroleukoplakia or non‑healing ulceration more than 3 weeks
Underlying causes of hoarse voice
Asthma and inhaled medications
GORD
MND
Thyroid disease
Post stroke
Parkinson’s disease
Chronic rhinosinusitis
Voice misuse
Red flags voice hoarseness
USC ENT if:
Hoarseness> 4 weeks, especially in smokers
with suspicion of malignancy, e.g. haemoptysis, throat pain, dysphagia, neck mass, mass or tumour on chest X‑ray, or weight loss.
Do CXR with all smokers with hoarse voice