HENT Exam Flashcards
What are potential causes of nasal stuffiness or discharge?
Infection, allergies, tumor, and trauma (either direct or indirect)
What is rhinotillexomania?
Compulsive nose picking
What should you look for when inspecting the scalp?
Scaliness, lumps, nevi, or other lesions
What could an enlarged skull signify?
Hydrocephalus, Paget’s disease
What should you look for when inspecting the skull?
General size and contour, any deformities, depressions, lumps, or tenderness
When might palpable tenderness or step-offs be present in the skull?
After head trauma
What should you look for when inspecting the face?
Facial expression, contours, asymmetry, involuntary movements, edema, masses, etc
What is a keloid?
A firm, nodular, hypertrophic mass of scar tissue extending beyond the area of injury
What is a tophi?
A deposit of uric acid crystals characteristic of chronic tophaceous gouts that appears as hard nodules in the helix or antihelix and may discharge chalky white crystals through the skin
What is a cutaneous cyst?
A dome-shaped lump in the dermis that forms a benign closed firm sac attached to the epidermis; formerly called a sebaceous cyst
What is chondrodermatitis helicis?
A chronic inflammatory lesion that starts as a painful, tender papule on the helix or antihelix and in later stage can be ulcerated or crusted. A biopsy is needed to rule out carcinoma
What is basal cell carcinoma?
A common, slow-growing malignancy that rarely metastasizes and can be seen as a raised nodule with a lustrous surface and telangiectatic vessels
What are rheumatoid nodules?
Small lumps on the helix or antihelix and additional nodules elsewhere on the hands and along the surface of the ulna distal to the elbow and on the knees and heels, common in chronic rheumatoid arthritis
A painful “tug test” likely indicates what?
Acute otitis externa - inflammation of the ear canal
What usually causes perforations of the eardrum?
Purulent infections of the middle ear
What would you expect to see in chronic infection of the middle ear that causes perforation?
The eardrum itself is scarred and no landmarks are visible
What is tympanosclerosis?
A deposition of hyaline material within the layers of the tympanic membrane that sometimes follows a severe episode of otitis media, seen as large, chalky white patches with irregular margins
What typically causes serous effusions?
Viral upper respiratory infections (otitis media with serous effusion) or by sudden changes in atmospheric pressure
What happens during serous effusion?
Air is absorbed from the middle ear into the bloodstream and serous fluid accumulates in the middle ear instead
What commonly causes acute otitis media with purulent effusion?
Bacterial infection from S. pneumoniae or H. influenzae
What would you expect to see during an ear exam with a patient with acute otitis media with purulent effusion?
Reddened eardrum that loses its landmarks and bulges laterally
What causes bullous myringitis?
Mycoplasma, viral, and bacterial otitis media
What happens in bullous myringitis?
Painful hemorrhagic vesicles appear on the tympanic membrane, the ear canal, or both
How would you test for lateralization (Weber test)?
Place the base of the lightly vibrating tuning fork firmly on top of the patient’s head or on the mid forehead and determine if sound is heard
During the Weber test, the sound is heard in the good ear when what type of hearing loss is present?
Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss
During the Weber test, the sound is heard in the bad ear when what type of hearing loss is present?
Unilateral conductive hearing loss
How would you perform the Rinne test?
Place the base of a lightly vibrating tuning fork on the mastoid bone, behind the ear and level with the canal. When the patient can no longer hear the sound, quickly place the “U” of the fork facing forward and ascertain whether the sound can be heard again
What would be considered a normal result of the Rinne test?
Normally, sound is heard longer through air than through bone
What would be the expected result of the Rinne test if conductive hearing loss is present?
Sound is heard through the bone as long as or longer than it is through air
How would you test for nasal obstruction?
By pressing on each ala nasi in turn and asking the patient to breathe in
When inspecting the inside of the nose, what should you try to look for?
Inferior and middle turbinates, the nasal septum, and the narrow nasal passage between them
What are potential abnormalities you might find when inspecting the nose?
Deviation, inflammation, perforation, and masses
What are some conditions conducive to nasal polyps?
Allergic rhinitis, aspirin sensitivity, asthma, chronic sinus infections, and cystic fibrosis
What are potential causes of septal perforation?
Trauma, surgery, and intranasal use of cocaine or amphetamines
What are nasal polyps?
Pale saclike growths of inflamed tissue that can obstruct the air passage or sinuses