Arab Board ENT Final Clinical & Oral key terms

Reduced sound transmission to the inner ear caused by obstruction, perforation, or ossicular dysfunction, producing air-bone gap on audiometry with preserved bone conduction thresholds.

An expanding keratinizing squamous epithelial cyst within the middle ear or mastoid that erodes adjacent bone and causes chronic discharge, hearing loss, and risk of intracranial complications.

Objective test measuring middle ear compliance across applied ear canal pressures, classifying ears as type A, B, or C and helping detect effusion, perforation, or ossicular fixation.

Benign Schwann cell tumour of the vestibular division of the eighth cranial nerve, typically causing unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and imbalance with possible facial or trigeminal involvement.

Brief positional vertigo caused by displaced otoconia entering a semicircular canal, diagnosed by a characteristic torsional nystagmus on Dix-Hallpike testing and treated with canal repositioning manoeuvres.

Diagnostic positional manoeuvre in which the seated patient's head is turned and rapidly laid back, provoking vertigo and characteristic nystagmus that localise posterior canal pathology.

Sequential head and body rotations performed at the bedside to move dislodged otoconia out of the posterior semicircular canal, relieving positional vertigo without drugs or surgery.

Surgical rebuilding of sound transmission between tympanic membrane and oval window using a prosthesis or remodelled ossicle after erosion or removal of the incus or malleus.

Mastoid surgery in which the posterior canal wall is removed to create a single open cavity, improving access and aeration for extensive cholesteatoma at the cost of cavity care needs.

Combined surgical clearance of disease from the middle ear and mastoid with tympanic membrane repair, used for chronic suppurative otitis media or cholesteatoma unresponsive to medical therapy.

Anatomical space between cerebellum and pons through which cranial nerves seven and eight and the anterior inferior cerebellar artery pass, and a common site for tumours and vascular compression.

Electrophysiological recording of neural responses to sound clicks or tones, used to estimate hearing thresholds in infants and to screen for retrocochlear pathology such as vestibular schwannoma.

Low-intensity sounds generated by active outer hair cell motility and measurable in the ear canal with a probe microphone, providing a quick objective screen of cochlear function.

Minimally invasive operation using rigid endoscopes to open sinus ostia and remove obstructing tissue or polyps while preserving mucosa and normal drainage pathways.

Drainage channel on the lateral nasal wall comprising middle meatus, ethmoid infundibulum, and maxillary ostium, whose obstruction is a central mechanism in chronic rhinosinusitis.

Persistent symptomatic inflammation of nose and paranasal sinuses lasting twelve weeks or more, diagnosed by clinical criteria with endoscopic or radiological confirmation of mucosal disease.

Bilateral benign inflammatory outgrowths of oedematous nasal mucosa arising from ethmoid clefts, often linked to eosinophilic inflammation, asthma, and aspirin sensitivity.

Bleeding from the nose, commonly from Kiesselbach plexus anteriorly or from sphenopalatine branches posteriorly, managed by pressure, cautery, packing, or arterial ligation and embolisation.

Terminal branch of the maxillary artery supplying most of the nasal cavity, a key target for endoscopic ligation in severe posterior epistaxis and a landmark during sinus and skull base surgery.

Leakage of cerebrospinal fluid through a skull base defect into the nose, presenting with clear watery discharge, confirmed by beta-2 transferrin, and repaired endoscopically to prevent meningitis.

Closure of anterior skull base defects via a transnasal endoscopic approach using mucosal or fascial grafts and vascularised flaps such as the nasoseptal flap.

Surgical removal of cervical lymph node levels for staging or treating head and neck cancer, classified as radical, modified radical, or selective according to which non-lymphatic structures and levels are preserved.

Identification and removal of the first draining node using radiotracer or dye to stage the clinically negative neck while avoiding unnecessary comprehensive dissection.

Transfer of tissue with its own blood supply from a donor site to a recipient defect, requiring microvascular anastomosis, commonly used after major head and neck cancer resection.

Pedicled regional flap of chest skin, muscle, and subcutaneous tissue rotated to reconstruct large oral cavity, pharyngeal, or skin defects when microsurgery is unavailable or contraindicated.

Standardised classification of malignant tumours by primary tumour extent, regional nodal involvement, and distant metastasis, guiding prognosis, treatment selection, and comparison of outcomes.

Procedures altering laryngeal cartilage position to change vocal fold tension or glottic closure, such as medialisation thyroplasty for unilateral vocal fold paralysis.

Loss of active vocal fold movement due to recurrent laryngeal or vagus nerve injury, producing hoarseness, breathy voice, and possible aspiration depending on position.

Needle electrode study of intrinsic laryngeal muscle activity that helps distinguish neuropathy from mechanical fixation and can inform prognosis for recovery of vocal fold paralysis.

Office examination with a flexible fibreoptic or chip-tip scope passed through the nose to visualise the pharynx and larynx, allowing assessment of airway, voice, and swallowing function.

Congenital collapse of supraglottic structures during inspiration causing stridor in infants, usually self-limiting and managed conservatively with surgery reserved for feeding or respiratory compromise.

Audible high-pitched breathing sound caused by turbulent airflow through a narrowed airway, with timing in the respiratory cycle suggesting the level of obstruction.

Persistent fluid in the middle ear without acute infection, causing conductive hearing loss and speech or educational delay in children, treated by observation, tympanostomy tubes, or adenoidectomy.

Small ventilation tube inserted through the tympanic membrane to aerate the middle ear and clear effusion, reducing recurrent infection and hearing loss in selected children.

Surgical creation of an opening from the skin to the trachea, with or without a tube, to bypass upper airway obstruction or facilitate prolonged ventilation and pulmonary toilet.

Repetitive upper airway collapse during sleep causing apnoea, hypoxaemia, and arousals, diagnosed by sleep study severity indices and treated with weight loss, positive pressure, or surgery.

Monitored overnight sleep study recording airflow, respiratory effort, oxygen saturation, cardiac rhythm, and sleep stages to quantify apnoea-hypopnoea index and establish sleep disordered breathing.

Surgical resection and reshaping of soft palate, uvula, and tonsillar tissue to enlarge the retropalatal airway in selected patients with obstructive sleep apnoea or snoring.

Ethical and legal process of explaining diagnosis, proposed treatment, alternatives, and material risks in understandable terms, then confirming the competent patient's voluntary agreement.

A patient's ability to understand relevant information, appreciate consequences, reason about options, and communicate a choice, assessed at the time a specific decision is made.