Lecture 2

Question 1

What is otoscopy?

What are you determining?

Answer 1

Examination of the external ear and eardrum, tympanic membrane.

Determine whether a referral is warranted based upon otoscopy findings.
Describe observable conditions including quadrants if anomalies exist.

Question 2

When performing otoscopy, what kinds of questions do you ask yourself?

Answer 2

Is there wax?
Does their ear hurt? (if can't see/hurts, need to get wax removed)
Can you do a test on this person?
Do you carry on with the test?
Will it explain symptoms?

Question 3

What does a normal TM look like?

Answer 3

Can be slightly different colours, drier, shinier. Pale pink/white colour.
Look for translucent quality, ability to see short process umbo.
Cone of light**

Question 4

What does otitis externa mean? What does otitis media mean?

Answer 4

Externa - outer ear/ear canal, anomaly

Media - middle ear (infection) issue

Question 5

What is this abnormal ear condition?
Middle ear pressure different than atmosphere, TM pushed one way or another. Fluid pushed in/out. Can see all bones in the middle ear cavity, lack of pressure causes vacuum.

Answer 5

Retracted TM

Question 6

What is this abnormal ear condition?
Fluid in middle ear, can see bubbles, looks cloudy, not as translucent, cone of light not as nice. See fluid behind middle ear.

Lots of fluid, lots of blood vessels, painful.

Answer 6

Otitis media with effusion

Acute otitis media

Question 7

What is this abnormal ear condition?
When eustachian tube not equalizing pressure, without fixing this, conductive hearing loss could occur. TM not moving well.

Answer 7

Pressure equalization tube

Question 8

What is this abnormal ear condition?
Pressure not treated in the ear, burst your eardrum. Hole in the eardrum. Small = will heal, Big = will need tympanostomy.
Can cause hearing loss.

Answer 8

TM perforation

Question 9

What is this type of abnormal ear condition?

Calcification of the TM. Will be stiff, TM not moving as well. May feel plugged, things not as loud as they should be.

Answer 9

Tympanosclerosis.

Question 10

What is this type of abnormal ear condition?
Large bony growth, bump; harder to see TM. If plugging, need to do something about it. Doesn’t sound issue, is benign - don’t prevent sound transmission to TM.
Sense of collapsing ear canals.

Answer 10

Exosotoses.

Question 11

What are some reasons why you would do otoscopy?

Answer 11

Make referrals, blocking cerumen, drainage, perforation, otitis externa/media.