Session 6 - Diseases of the ear Flashcards
What is an auricular haematoma?
Trauma resulting in bleeding within the auricle may produce an Auricular Haematoma. A localised collection of blood forms between the Perichondrium and the Auricular Cartilage, causing distortion of the contours of the auricle.
If the blood is not aspirated, fibrosis develops in the overlying skin, forming a deformed auricle (Cauliflower or Boxer’s ear).
Name four congenital pinna deformities
o Antihelix deformity
o Pinna malformation
o Pre-auricular pit
o Pre-auricular skin tag
What is acute otitis externa?
o Infection / Inflammation of the external acoustic meatus
Who does otitis externa usually effect?
o Often develops in swimmers who do not dry their meatus after swimming
o Itching and pain in the external ear
Pulling the auricle or applying pressure on the tragus increases pain
What is otitis media?
Infection of the middle ear
What is otitis media often caused by?
Respiratory infection via the eustachian tube
Why is otitis media more common in children?
their Eustachian tube is shorter and more horizontal, making it easier for organisms to travel up it and harder for fluid to drain away from the middle ear
What are the major symptoms of otitis media?
o Earache and bulging red tympanic membrane
Pus or fluid in the middle ear
What could inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the tympanic cavity cause in otitis media?
Partial or complete blockage of the eustachian tube
What can cause perforation of tympanic membrane?
otitis media, the insertion of foreign bodies, trauma, excessive pressure
What is mastoiditis?
o Infections of the mastoid antrum and mastoid air cells
What causes mastoiditis?
Otitis media
What does mastoiditis cause?
o Causes inflammation of the mastoid process
Swelling behind the ear
o Infection may spread superiorly into the middle cranial fossa through the petrosquamous fissure in children
Osteomyelitis
What can cause blockage of eustachian tube?
mild infections, e.g. a cold as walls of its cartilaginous part are normally already in apposition
What happens when eustachian tube is blocked?
residual air in the tympanic cavity is absorbed into mucosal blood vessels
Lower pressure in the tympanic cavity
Retraction of the Tympanic Membrane
o Interference with the free movement of the tympanic membrane (its retraction) affects hearing
o Adenoidal hypertrophy can block the opening to
What is a major viral cause of eustachian tube blockage?
o Adenoidal hypertrophy can block the opening to the tube in the Nasopharynx
Children 3-8
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)
What does paralysis of stapedius cause?
o Loss of protective action against loud noises
o Hyperacusis or Hyperacusia
What is motion sickness?
o Discordance between vestibular and visual stimulation
What is the major cause of dizziness and hearing loss?
Injuries of the peripheral auditory system
What are the big symptoms of peripheral auditory damage?
Hearing loss
Vertigo
Tinnitus
What is a major cause of conductive hearing loss?
o Results from anything in the external or middle ear that interferes with the conduction of sound or movement of the oval or round windows.
o People with this type of hearing loss often speak with a soft voice
To them, their own voices sound louder than background sounds
o May be improved surgically or by use of a hearing device
What causes sensorineural hearing loss?
o Results from defects in the pathway from cochlea to brain
Defects of cochlea
Defects of cochlea nerve
Defects of brainstem
What is a treatment for sensorineural hearing loss?
o Cochlear implants can restore hearing
External microphone transmitting to an implanted receiver that sends electrical impulses to the cochlea, stimulating the cochlear nerve
What is meniere syndrome?
o Blockage of the cochlear aqueduct
o Recurrent attacks of tinnitus, hearing loss and vertigo
o Accompanied by a sense of pressure in the ear, distortion of sounds and sensitivity to noise
What is a colesteatoma?
o Blockage of the Eustachian tube leads to negative middle ear pressure
o Negative pressure leads to retraction pockets
o Dead skin cells accumulate in the pockets
o Necrotic mass of dead skin
Colesteatoma
o Erosion of middle ear structures and bone via lytic enzymes
What is otalgia?
o Ear pain
o Infection / inflammation around the ear
o Pain from teeth, pharynx or cervical spine commonly referred to the ear
What is pruritus?
o Itching
o May result from primary disorder of the external ear, or middle ear discharge
What is otorrhea?
o Discharge from the ear
o Indicates acute or chronic infection
o Blood / CSF discharge associated with skull fracture
