Hearing and balance disorders

Question 1

acute otitis media

Answer 1

inflammation in the middle ear lasting less than 6 weeks

Question 2

cholesteatoma

Answer 2

tumor of the middle ear or mastoid, or both, that can destroy structures of the temporal bone

Question 3

chronic otitis media

Answer 3

repeated episodes of acute otitis media causing irreversible tissue damage

Question 4

conductive hearing loss

Answer 4

loss of hearing in which efficient sound transmission to the inner ear is interrupted by some obstruction or disease process

Question 5

deafness

Answer 5

partial or complete loss of the ability to hear

Question 6

dizziness

Answer 6

altered sensation of orientation in space

Question 7

endolymphatic hydrops

Answer 7

dilation of the endolymphatic space of the inner ear; the pathologic correlate of Ménière disease

Question 8

exostoses

Answer 8

small, hard, bony protrusions in the lower posterior bony portion of the ear canal

Question 9

external otitis (i.e., otitis externa)

Answer 9

inflammation of the external auditory canal

Question 10

labyrinthitis

Answer 10

inflammation of the labyrinth of the inner ear

Question 11

Ménière disease

Answer 11

condition of the inner ear characterized by a triad of symptoms: episodic vertigo, tinnitus, and fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss

Question 12

middle ear effusion

Answer 12

fluid in the middle ear without evidence of infection

Question 13

myringotomy (i.e., tympanotomy)

Answer 13

incision in the tympanic membrane

Question 14

nystagmus

Answer 14

involuntary rhythmic eye movement

Question 15

ossiculoplasty

Answer 15

surgical reconstruction of the middle ear bones to restore hearing

Question 16

otalgia

Answer 16

sensation of fullness or pain in the ear

Question 17

otorrhea

Answer 17

drainage from the ear

Question 18

otosclerosis

Answer 18

a condition characterized by abnormal spongy bone formation around the stapes

Question 19

presbycusis

Answer 19

progressive hearing loss associated with aging

Question 20

rhinorrhea

Answer 20

drainage from the nose

Question 21

sensorineural hearing loss

Answer 21

loss of hearing related to damage to the end organ for hearing or cranial nerve VIII, or both

Question 22

tinnitus

Answer 22

subjective perception of sound with internal origin; unwanted noises in the head or ear

Question 23

tympanoplasty

Answer 23

surgical repair of the tympanic membrane

Question 24

vertigo

Answer 24

illusion of movement in which the individual or the surroundings are sensed as moving

Question 25

Weber Test

Answer 25

uses bone conduction to test lateralization of sound, place tuning fork on the patient’s head or forehead. Results of the Weber test are used to determine whether the patient has conductive hearing loss (sounds are heard better in the affected ear) or sensorineural hearing loss (sounds are heard better in the normal ear).

Question 26

Rinne Test

Answer 26

Examiner shifts the stem of a vibrating tuning fork between two positions: 2 inches from the opening of the ear canal (for air conduction) and against the mastoid bone (for bone conduction). A person with a conductive hearing loss hears bone-conducted sound as long as or longer than air-conducted sound. A person with a sensorineural hearing loss hears air-conducted sound longer than bone-conducted sound.

Question 27

Ototoxic medications

Answer 27

gentamycin, loop diuretics & aspirin

Question 28

Tinnitus

Answer 28

perception of sound; often ringing in the ears