Inner Ear, Nose and Sinus, Throat Flashcards
Recurrent episodic vertigo caused by endolymphatic hydrops (edema)?
Meniere’s disease - potentially over diagnosed?
What are some symptoms of Meniere’s disease?
- Episodic attacks (with dread)
- Severe to violent vertigo with N/V
- Aural fullness
- Fluctuating hearing loss
- Loud, roaring, tinnitus
- Sensitivity to loud noises
- Usually middle-aged women
- Autoimmune?
Who does Meniere’s classically affect?
Middle aged women
What is an uncommon but dangerous condition that causes vertigo in 50% of pts?
Acoustic neuroma
What are some features of acoustic neuroma?
- Slowly progressive, unilateral hearing loss.
- Tinnitus
- Facial weakness
What do you do with any vague dizziness or vertigo with unilateral or asymmetric sensory hearing loss?
Assume it’s an acoustic neuroma until proven otherwise.
What are some features of vestibular neuronitis?
- Common, usually follows URI.
- Sudden, severe vertigo with N/V
- Affects CN 8
- No tinnitus or change in hearing
- Unidirectional nystagmus
- Hypoactive vestibular apparatus
What is the prognosis for vestibular neuronitis?
Resolves in days to weeks down to mild positional vertigo.
How is labyrinthitis different from vestibular neuronitis?
It involves both the cochlea and the labyrinth.
Where does the nystagmus go in labyrinthitis?
Spontaneously to the unaffected side.
What is the prognosis of labyrinthitis?
May resolve in days to weeks but unsteadiness and positional vertigo may persist for months.
What causes labyrinthitis?
Lots of things: ototoxic drugs, infection, autoimmune, treatment of TB.
Most commonly concomitant to acute infection like OM or sinusitis
What is BPPV?
It’s a brief episode of vertigo that is ALWAYS and only positional.
Does BPPV have hearing loss or tinnitus?
No it does not.
What can cause BPPV?
Head trauma, dental surgery, middle ear infection, otoliths.
What endocrine/metabolic conditions should be on your DDx when treating inner ear disorders?
- Hypothyroid
- Hyperlipidemia
- Electrolytes (specifically Na/K)
- Diabetic and dysglycemia
What is the most common cause of traumatic hearing loss?
Rupture of the TM? It may actually be noise or head injury.
What type of tympanogram does ruptured TM cause?
A(d) – Type A disrupted
What PE can you use to assess conductive hearing loss?
Rinne, it’s specific but not sensitive.
What is the big DDx list for types of hearing loss?
- Conductive
- Sensorineural (congenital, genetic)
- Traumatic (noise, head injury)
- Inflammatory (ASOM, SOM)
- Neoplastic
- Metabolic/vascular
- Ototoxicity
What syndrome has a lock of grey hair in the front of the head?
Waadenberg’s - it’s a genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss.
What is Schwartze’s sign?
A pinkish blue hue to TM associated with otosclerosis.
What does the Weber test differentiate?
Conductive from sensorineural hearing loss.
What does the Rinne test differentiate?
Air conduction vs bone conduction.
What might you notice in office about your pt with conductive hearing loss?
They may be very soft spoken and hear better in a noisy environment.
What kind of tympanogram are you likely to see in conductive hearing loss?
A(s) – (stiff)
What does audiology test?
Air and bone conduction between 250-8,000Hz.
What is Carhart’s notch?
Dip in bone conductive threshold at 2000 Hz where sound is loudest for human ears.
What does speech audiometry measure?
The threshold at which speech is accurately heard.
What does auditory brainstem response measure?
The time it takes for impulses to get form the cochlea to the brainstem.
Which mineral is helpful for presbycusis?
Zinc (add copper if using long term).
Which minerals are helpful for aminoglycoside and antibiotic ototoxicity?
Magnesium
Glutathione if gentamicin toxicity
What are a few ototoxic substances?
- Aspirin
- Quinine
- Aminoglycosides
- Erythromycin (high dose)
- Loop and thiazide diuretics
- Platinum based chemo
- CO2
- Nicotine
- Alcohol
- Heavy metals
- Interferon a
How can you improve circulation to the middle ear?
Oral: Gingko, vaccinium bilberry, vinca minor.
Local: Hypericum oil, cimicifuga.