ENT & OPHTHALMOLOGY Flashcards
(122 cards)
What are some causes for conductive hearing loss?
- External canal obstruction = wax, pus, foreign body
- TM perforation = trauma, barotrauma, infection
- Ossicle defects = otosclerosis, infection, trauma
- Inadequate eustachian tube ventilation of the middle ear = effusion 2ndary to nasopahryngeal carcinoma
What are some causes of sensorineural hearing loss?
- Drugs - streptomycin, gentamycin, hydroxychloroquine
- Post-infective = meningitis, measles, mumps, flu, herpes, syphillis
- Meniere’s disease
- Cochlear valvular disease
- Acoustic neuroma
- Trauma
- Presbycusis
Describe briefly, what is the difference in terms of sound conduction between conductive, sensorineural + mixed hearing loss.
- Sensorineural both air + bone conduction are reduced
- In conductive, only AC impaired
- in mixed, both AC + BC are affected, often with AC being worse
What is otosclerosis? Who does it tend to affect?
New bone formation around the stapes, which leads to fixation + consequent conductive hearing loss
- autosomal dominant
- typically manifests between 20-40yrs
What are the clinical features you would expect in a patient with otosclerosis?
- bilateral conductive deafness
- hearing IMPROVES when background noise present
- worsened by pregnancy/menopause/menstruation
- tinnitus
- mild transient vertigo
- positive FHx
How do you manage a patient with otosclerosis?
- Hearing aid - including BAHA
- Surgery - stapes implant
- Cochlear implant
What are the typical clinical features that a patient with presbyacusis will present with?
Tend to be over 65yrs
- B/L hearing loss
- Speech is difficult to understand, they struggle to use telephone + having to turn up volume of TV
- hearing is WORSE in noisy environments
- loss of directionality of sound
- slow onset and may have associated tinnitus
What investigations would you perform in a patient with presbyacusis?
- OTOSCOPY - R/O otosclerosis, cholesteatoma, conductive hearing loss
- TYMAPNOMETRY - normal middle ear function
- AUDIOMETRY - B/L sensorineural pattern
How is prebyacusis managed?
Hearing aid
What are the clinical features of otitis externa?
- watery discharge
- itch
- pain + tragal tenderness
- on otoscopy = red, swollen, eczematous ear canal
When would you consider doing an ear swab in a patient with otitis externa?
- Treatment fails
- OE chronic or recurrent
- Topical treatment cannot be delivered (e.g. EAC occluded)
- Infection has spread beyond EAC
- Infection is severe enough to require oral Abx
How do you manage a patient with otitis externa?
- Manage aggravating/precipitating factors
- Consider cleaning EAC if wax/debris blocks topical med application
- Consider topical abx with or without steroid
- e.g. ciprofloxacin with dexamethasone
- use for at least 7 days. If symptoms persist can use for up to 14 days - Consider earwick insertion if extensive swelling of EAC
- Oral abx rarely indicated
- clarithromycin or flucloxacillin
What self-care advice should you give pts with otitis externa?
- Avoid damage to EAC - do NOT use cotton ear buds
- Keep the ears clean + dry
- Ensure pre-disposing conditions are controlled e.g. eczema, dermatitis
What patients are at risk of developing malignant/necrotizing otitis externa? Why is it life-threatening
Immunocompromised => 90% of pats are diabetics
- Life-threatening as can cause temporal bone osteomyelitis
What investigation should be performed in suspected necrotizing OE?
CT
How is malignant/necrotizing OE managed?
Non-resolving OE with worsening pain = urgent ENT referral
- Surgical debridement
- IB Abx
- Specific immunoglobulins
What are some risk factors for developing otitis media?
- bottle fed
- passive smoking
- dummy use
- asthma
- cleft-palate
- GORD
- raised BMI
How does acute otitis media present? Including what would be seen on ototscopy
- Usually occurs in children post-URTI
- Rapid onset ear pain, with child tugging at ear
- Irritable, fever, vomiting
- purulent discharge if drum perforates
O/E:
- bulging red TM
- loss of normal landmarks
- may have a fluid level
How is acute otitis media managed?
- Advise that the usual duration is about 3 days but can be up to 1-week
- Optimize analgesia e.g. regular ibuprofen + paracetamol
- Antibiotics - amoxicillin or clarithromycin
- only use if systemically unwell
When would you consider admitting someone with acute otitis media?
- Severe systemic infection
- Suspected acute complications = meningitis, mastoiditis, intracranial abscess, sinus thrombosis, facial nerve palsy
- children under 3-months with a fever or over 38 degrees
What are risk factors for developing OME (glue ear)?
- Downs syndrome
- Cleft palate
- Cystic fibrosis
- Primary ciliary dyskinesia
Allergic rhinitis
If otitis media with effusion occurs in an adult, what must be ruled out?
Post-nasal space tumour
What are the clinical features you would expect in a pt with OME (glue ear)?
HEARING LOSS
- inattention at school
- poor speech development
- hearing impairment
O/E:
- retracted dull TM
- fluid level present
- normal TM does NOT rule out OME
Why do we worry about persistent, foul smelling discharge?
?Cholesteatoma
- urgent ENT referral required