Normal and abnormal findings of ear

Question 1

Q: What are normal findings related to earache?

Answer 1

A: No pain in or around the ear.

Question 1

Q: What does otalgia (ear pain) indicate?

Answer 1

A: Ear disease, referred pain from teeth or oropharynx, or otitis externa if pain occurs on movement.

Question 2

Q: What can trauma to the ear cause?

Answer 2

A: May rupture the eardrum

Question 3

Q: What is a normal history regarding ear infections?

Answer 3

A: No history of frequent ear infections.

Question 4

Q: What can frequent childhood ear infections cause?

Answer 4

A: Progressive hearing loss or chronic ear problems.

Question 5

Q: What are normal findings for ear discharge?

Answer 5

A: No discharge.

Question 6

Q: What type of discharge is seen in external otitis?

Answer 6

A: Purulent, sanguineous, or watery discharge.

Question 7

Q: What type of discharge is seen with acute otitis media with perforation?

Answer 7

A: Purulent discharge.

Question 8

Q: What does cholesteatoma discharge look like?

Answer 8

A: Dirty yellow or gray with foul odor.

Question 9

Q: What are normal findings regarding hearing?

Answer 9

A: No difficulty hearing in daily activities.

Question 10

Q: What causes conductive hearing loss?

Answer 10

A: Impacted cerumen, otosclerosis (abnormal hardening of tissue), or trauma.

Question 11

Q: What causes sensorineural hearing loss?

Answer 11

A: Gradual loss from presbycusis (age) or ototoxic medications.

Question 12

Q: What does sudden hearing loss or recruitment (painful response to loud sounds) indicate?

Answer 12

A: Concerning auditory issues requiring further evaluation.

Question 13

Q: What is a normal history regarding environmental noise exposure?

Answer 13

A: No exposure to loud, persistent noises without ear protection.

Question 14

Q: What can long-term exposure to loud noises without protection cause?

Answer 14

A: Progressive hearing loss.

Question 15

Q: What is a normal finding for tinnitus?

Answer 15

A: No ringing, buzzing, or crackling in the ears.

Question 16

Q: What are common causes of tinnitus?

Answer 16

A: Hearing loss, quiet environments, or medications (e.g., aspirin, aminoglycosides, furosemide).

Question 17

Q: What is a normal finding for vertigo?

Answer 17

A: No dizziness or spinning sensation.

Question 18

Q: What does true vertigo indicate?

Answer 18

A: Dysfunction of the labyrinth.

Question 19

Q: What are normal findings for the external ear?

Answer 19

A: Equal-sized ears, no swelling, redness, tenderness, or lesions.

Question 20

Q: What conditions cause swelling, redness, or tenderness of the external ear?

Answer 20

A: Otitis externa or cellulitis.

Question 21

Q: What do lumps or lesions on the ear indicate?

Answer 21

A: Sebaceous cysts, tophi, keloids, or carcinoma.

Question 22

Q: How does frostbite affect the external ear?

Answer 22

A: Causes red-blue discoloration.

Question 23

Q: What are normal findings for the auditory meatus?

Answer 23

A: No swelling, redness, or discharge; cerumen present in varying colors.

Question 24

Q: What does impacted cerumen cause?

Answer 24

A: Conductive hearing loss.

Question 25

Q: What are normal findings for the tympanic membrane?

Answer 25

A: Shiny, translucent, pearly gray membrane; cone-shaped light reflex at 5:00 (right ear) or 7:00 (left ear).

Question 26

Q: What does redness of the tympanic membrane indicate?

Answer 26

A: Acute otitis media.

Question 27

Q: What does a yellow-amber tympanic membrane indicate?

Answer 27

A: Otitis media with effusion.

Question 28

Q: What does perforation of the tympanic membrane look like?

Answer 28

A: A dark oval on the eardrum.

Question 29

Q: What are normal findings for the whisper test?

Answer 29

A: Correct repetition of numbers or letters.

Question 30

Q: What does failure of the whisper test indicate?

Answer 30

A: High-tone hearing loss