Surgery: ENT Flashcards
What’s Presbycusis?
- age-related hearing loss
- bilateral
- progressive
- high frequency
Which inflammatory diseases may lead to sensorineural hearing loss?
- measles
- mumps
- meningitis
- syphillis
What drug classes (2) may cause ototoxicity and lead to sensorineural hearing loss?
- aminoglycosides
- cytotoxic agents
(2) causes of conductive hearing loss re to external ear
- otitis externa
- wax
Cause of conductive hearing loss related to the tympanic membrane
perforation
Causes of conductive hearing loss related to middle ear
- ossicular discontinuity
- otosclerosis
- cholesteatoma
- otitis media with effusion (OME) (beware unilateral)
- Mixed - chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM)
What to ask in HPC re to hearing loss?
What to ask in PMH and Med Hx re to hearing loss?
Anatomy of tympanic membrane
What’s the importance of the wax in the attic?
It could be cholesteatoma
Pathophysiology of cholesteatoma
- non-cancerous growth of squamous epithelium that is ‘trapped’ within the skull base → local destruction
Risk factors for cholesteatoma (2)
- most common in patients aged 10-20 years
- cleft palate increases the risk of cholesteatoma around 100 fold
Symptoms of cholesteatoma
Main features
- foul-smelling, non-resolving discharge
- hearing loss
Other features are determined by local invasion:
- vertigo
- facial nerve palsy
- cerebellopontine angle syndrome
What’s seen on otoscopy in cholesteatoma?
‘attic crust’ - seen in the uppermost part of the ear drum
Principles of tuning fork tests
Management of sudden SN hearing loss
Steroids
Ix and management of asymmetrical SN hearing loss
- MRI
- hearing aids
Management of symmetrical SN hearing loss
hearing aids
Management of Conductive Hearing Loss
- hearing aids
- surgery
What may hearing loss in children lead to?
Management of Cholesteatoma
patients are referred to ENT for consideration of surgical removal
Congenital causes of hearing loss (4)
- genetic
- prenatal infections e.g. Rubella
- prenatal toxins exposure
- hypoxic injury
What does Newborn Hearing Screening Programme consist of?
- otoacoustic emissions → performed within days of birth until up to 3 months
If the unclear response on otoacoustic emissions test → auditory brainstem response
Pathophysiology and management of glue ear
Risk factors for glue ear
- male
- attending daycare
- older siblings
- parental smoking
- winter season
- atopy
- recurrent URTIs
- refux
Indications for immediate prescription of antibiotics in otitis media
- Symptoms lasting more than 4 days or not improving
- Systemically unwell but not requiring admission
- Immunocompromise or high risk of complications secondary to significant heart, lung, kidney, liver, or neuromuscular disease
- Younger than 2 years with bilateral otitis media
- Otitis media with perforation and/or discharge in the canal
If indicated, what antibiotics and how long for do we prescribe in otitis media?
- 5-day course of amoxicillin
- if penicillin allergy → erythromycin or clarithromycin should be given
Symptoms and management of Acute Otitis Media
Symptoms and management of ear wax
Management of Foreign Body in the ear
What extra questions to ask while taking hearing loss Hx in children?
How to differentiate between: BPPV, Vestibular Neuronitis/ Labirynthitis and Menieres disease
Consider:
- duration of vertigo episodes
- associated auditory symptoms
Causes of Tinnitus
Other causes include
- impacted ear wax
- chronic suppurative otitis media
What drugs may cause tinnitus? (4)
- Aspirin
- Aminoglycosides
- Loop diuretics
- Quinine
What’s that? What’s its association?
10% of patients may have a ‘flamingo tinge’, caused by hyperaemia (excess of blood vessels)
What’s the classical history of vestibular schwannoma?
The classical history of vestibular schwannoma includes: a combination of vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus and an absent corneal reflex
Features of vestibular schwannoma in relation to affected cranial nerves (VIII, V and VII)
Features can be predicted by the affected cranial nerves:
- cranial nerve VIII: vertigo, unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral tinnitus
- cranial nerve V: absent corneal reflex
- cranial nerve VII: facial palsy
In which patients we can see bilateral vestibular schwannoma?
Bilateral vestibular schwannomas are seen in neurofibromatosis type 2