Normal and abnormal findings of ear Flashcards
Q: What are normal findings related to earache?
A: No pain in or around the ear.
Q: What does otalgia (ear pain) indicate?
A: Ear disease, referred pain from teeth or oropharynx, or otitis externa if pain occurs on movement.
Q: What can trauma to the ear cause?
A: May rupture the eardrum
Q: What is a normal history regarding ear infections?
A: No history of frequent ear infections.
Q: What can frequent childhood ear infections cause?
A: Progressive hearing loss or chronic ear problems.
Q: What are normal findings for ear discharge?
A: No discharge.
Q: What type of discharge is seen in external otitis?
A: Purulent, sanguineous, or watery discharge.
Q: What type of discharge is seen with acute otitis media with perforation?
A: Purulent discharge.
Q: What does cholesteatoma discharge look like?
A: Dirty yellow or gray with foul odor.
Q: What are normal findings regarding hearing?
A: No difficulty hearing in daily activities.
Q: What causes conductive hearing loss?
A: Impacted cerumen, otosclerosis (abnormal hardening of tissue), or trauma.
Q: What causes sensorineural hearing loss?
A: Gradual loss from presbycusis (age) or ototoxic medications.
Q: What does sudden hearing loss or recruitment (painful response to loud sounds) indicate?
A: Concerning auditory issues requiring further evaluation.
Q: What is a normal history regarding environmental noise exposure?
A: No exposure to loud, persistent noises without ear protection.
Q: What can long-term exposure to loud noises without protection cause?
A: Progressive hearing loss.
Q: What is a normal finding for tinnitus?
A: No ringing, buzzing, or crackling in the ears.
Q: What are common causes of tinnitus?
A: Hearing loss, quiet environments, or medications (e.g., aspirin, aminoglycosides, furosemide).
Q: What is a normal finding for vertigo?
A: No dizziness or spinning sensation.
Q: What does true vertigo indicate?
A: Dysfunction of the labyrinth.
Q: What are normal findings for the external ear?
A: Equal-sized ears, no swelling, redness, tenderness, or lesions.
Q: What conditions cause swelling, redness, or tenderness of the external ear?
A: Otitis externa or cellulitis.
Q: What do lumps or lesions on the ear indicate?
A: Sebaceous cysts, tophi, keloids, or carcinoma.
Q: How does frostbite affect the external ear?
A: Causes red-blue discoloration.
Q: What are normal findings for the auditory meatus?
A: No swelling, redness, or discharge; cerumen present in varying colors.
Q: What does impacted cerumen cause?
A: Conductive hearing loss.
Q: What are normal findings for the tympanic membrane?
A: Shiny, translucent, pearly gray membrane; cone-shaped light reflex at 5:00 (right ear) or 7:00 (left ear).
Q: What does redness of the tympanic membrane indicate?
A: Acute otitis media.
Q: What does a yellow-amber tympanic membrane indicate?
A: Otitis media with effusion.
Q: What does perforation of the tympanic membrane look like?
A: A dark oval on the eardrum.
Q: What are normal findings for the whisper test?
A: Correct repetition of numbers or letters.
Q: What does failure of the whisper test indicate?
A: High-tone hearing loss
