Lecture 10.2: Disorders of the Pharynx Flashcards
What are Adenoids?
They are a patch of tissue that sits at the very back of the nasal passage
What happens if Adenoids are Enlarged?
- Nasal Obstruction
- Eustachian Tube Obstruction
What happens if there is Nasal Obstruction due to Enlarged Adenoids? (4)
- Mouth Breathing
- Hyponasal Speech
- Feeding Difficulty (esp. infants)
- Snoring/Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
What happens if there is Eustachian Tube Obstruction due to Enlarged Adenoids? (2)
- Recurrent acute otitis media (earache)
- Chronic otitis media with effusion (glue ear,
reduced hearing)
What is an Angiofibroma?
- A benign tumour that is made up of blood vessels
and fibrous tissue - Angiofibromas usually appear as small, red bumps
on the face, especially on the nose and cheeks
What is Glue Ear?
When fluid collects in the middle ear
Symptoms of Glue Ear (6)
- Poor concentration
- TV volume up/Hearing down
- Behavioural Issues
- Recent URTIs
- Hyponasal Speech
- Snotty Nose
What does the hearing test of an individual with Glue Ear show?
Hearing test shows 30dB loss in both ears
Management of Glue Ear (3)
- Self-limiting condition→“ watchful waiting”– repeat
audiometry in 3/12. - Valsalva techniques to re-ventilate middle ear
cavities - If no improvement , then consider grommets or
hearing aids
Contents of the Oropharynx
- Palatine tonsils
- Anterior and posterior tonsillar pillars
What is Acute Pharyngitis?
Inflammation of the oropharynx
What is Tonsillitis?
Inflammation of the tonsils
What Factors are included as part of the Centor Clinical Presentation Score? (4)
- Fever
- Anterior Cervical Nodes
- Exudate
- Absent cough
What does a score of 3/4 on the Centor Clinical Presentation Score mean?
40-60% chance of bacterial Group A betahaemolyticstreptococcus
Local Complications of Streptococcal Sore Throat (3)
- Otitis Media
- Sinusitis
- Chest Infection
Distant Complications of Streptococcal Sore Throat (4)
- Rheumatic Fever
- Glomerulonephritis
- Meningitis
- Toxic Shock Syndrome
Red Flags for Sore Throat (5)
- Difficulty Breathing
- Difficulty Swallowing Saliva/Drooling
- Difficulty Opening Mouth (Trismus)
- Severe Pain (Especially Unilateral)
- Persistent High Fever
Causes of Tonsilitis (4)
- Viral
- Beta Haemolytic Strep
- Strep Pneumoni
- Haemophilus Influenza
Treatments of Tonsilitis (2)
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin
- Macroglycoside e.g., erythromycin
Complications of Tonsilitis
- Abcess Formation
- Peritonsillar (quinsy), retropharyngeal or
parapharyngeal abscess
What are Indications to get a Tonsillectomy? (4)
- Recurrent tonsillitis (5/year for at least 2 years)
- Previous peritonsillar abscess (quinsy)
- Suspected cancer (unilateral enlargement/
ulceration) - Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome