Lecture 1 Flashcards
Ear diagram (picture)
How should we think of the ME?
Think of the ME like a room. It is filled with air but can flood.
What is pulsatile tinnitus?
The person is hearing blood flow (vascular system)
What are the vascular structures? Where are the vascular structures compressing the ME?
- Internal carotid artery (on the front wall of the ME)
- Jugular bulb (floor of the ME)
The vascular structures are compressing on the front and floor of the ME
What are the two muscles of the ME?
- Stapedius muscle
- Tensor tympani muscle
Where is the stapedius muscle located?
It comes from the back wall of the ME
Where is the stapedius muscle hidden?
Hidden inside a bony structure (the pyramidal eminence); however, the tendon shows up in the ME
How is the stapedius muscle involved in acoustic reflex?
The stapedius tendon is connected to the stapedius neck which pulls the stapes up and down (stiffens up the ossicular chain) = acoustic reflex
What is the biggest muscle of the ME?
The tensor tympani muscle
Where is the tensor tympani muscle located in the ME?
On a right angle (back front corner of the ME)
The angle creates leverage providing additional force
Where is the tensor tympani muscle hidden?
Hidden in the cochleariform process
What is the tensor tympani connected too and how does is it involved?
- The tensor tympani muscle is connected to the malleus which is connected to the TM (runs across the ceiling)
- When the tensor tympani contracts, it pulls the eardrum in towards the center (this stiffens the TM as well as the ossicular chain)
- The footplate of the stapes is coupled to the fluid of the cochlea, which pumps the cochlear fluid
- No idea what the tensor tympani does
Why is otoscopy important?
- For acoustic immitance measures
- Helps with interpretation of results/management decisions
- Looking at the canal, pinna, and TM visual inspection
What things can you find with otoscopy?
- PE tube
- TM perforation
- Negative pressure/retraction pocket
- Foreign objects/debris/lesions
- Occasional middle ear items visible [e.g. ossicles, RW, PET]
Tymps wont tell you this information, you need to do otoscopy
What happens to the TM with negative pressure?
It is sucked into the ME space
What can happen when negative pressure gets very robust?
A retraction pocket can happen, adhering the TM against the ossicular bones and the wall of the cochlea
What can a retraction pocket cause?
Cholesteatoma
What is a patulous ET?
The ET is open in an abnormal way
What are the otoscopic landmarks?
- External ear (pinna): shine a light on the pinna
- Debris/cerumen (EAC): look for the TM (with no obstruction you will be able to visualize the TM)
- TM: look at colour (pinkish/gray)
- Cone of light: in the lower, frontal quadrant (lets you know the TM is positioned correctly)
- Ossicles (malleus)
What does it mean if there is no cone of light?
Could be negative pressure (retraction pockets) or positive pressure (ballooned out into the OE space)