Arab Board ENT Final Clinical & Oral study guide
Arab Board ENT Final Clinical & Oral · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Arab Board of Otorhinolaryngology final examination is the summative assessment that concludes specialty training in ENT under the Council of Arab Health Specialties. It is intended for trainees who have completed accredited residency training and who now need to demonstrate, in front of examiners, that they can practise independently. The Arab Board ENT Final Clinical & Oral study guide has 10 sections and about 2,440 words.
01Otology and Neuro-otology
Master the tonogram pattern-to-pathology map : conductive loss with a normal bone line and air-bone gap suggests middle-ear disease (effusion, ossicular fixation, tympanic membrane perforation); sensorineural loss with no gap localises to cochlea or retrocochlear pathway. Know tuning-fork logic (Rinne, Weber) as a bedside correlate, not a replacement, for audiometry.
272 words, about 1 min02Rhinology and Anterior Skull Base
Build a systematic endoscopic anatomy of the nasal cavity: inferior, middle, and superior turbinates; the middle meatus as the drainage site of frontal, maxillary, and anterior ethmoid sinuses; the sphenoethmoidal recess for the sphenoid. Know the ostiomeatal complex as the functional unit whose obstruction drives chronic rhinosinusitis.
264 words, about 1 min03Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology
Anchor on TNM staging logic and the neck levels (I–VI). Level I submental/submandibular; II–IV jugular chain; V posterior triangle; VI central compartment.
245 words, about 1 min04Laryngology and Voice
Understand voice production as a three-part system: power (respiratory), source (vocal folds), filter (resonance/articulation). Know benign vocal fold lesions : nodules (bilateral, phonotrauma), polyps (often unilateral, haemorrhagic), Reinke's oedema (smoking), cysts, and granuloma (post-intubation/reflux).
201 words, about 1 min05Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
Know the age-dependent airway anatomy : infants have a large occiput, anterior and cephalad larynx, omega-shaped epiglottis, and narrowest point at the cricoid (vs adult glottis). Recognise stridor timing: inspiratory (laryngomalacia - most common cause of infant stridor, worse supine/feeding, resolves), biphasic (subglottic stenosis, croup), expiratory (tracheomalacia/foreign body).
235 words, about 1 min06Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Master facial aesthetic subunits and the principle that scars should lie within relaxed skin tension lines. Know nasal anatomy (upper/lower lateral cartilages, septum, tip support) and the goals of rhinoplasty: airway and aesthetics.
215 words, about 1 min07Sleep Medicine and Airway
Understand obstructive sleep apnoea as recurrent upper airway collapse during sleep, diagnosed by polysomnography (apnoea-hypopnoea index; mild 5–15, moderate 15–30, severe 30). Know the risk factors : obesity, male sex, large neck circumference, retrognathia, adenotonsillar hypertrophy (children), and craniofacial anomalies.
191 words, under 1 min08Allergy and Immunology
Understand type I hypersensitivity (IgE-mediated, mast cell degranulation) as the basis of allergic rhinitis, asthma, and anaphylaxis. Know the allergic rhinitis classification (intermittent vs persistent, mild vs moderate-severe) and treatment ladder: allergen avoidance, intranasal corticosteroids (most effective), antihistamines, and immunotherapy for refractory cases.
203 words, about 1 min09Trauma and Emergencies
Prioritise airway, breathing, circulation in every trauma scenario. Know maxillofacial trauma : Le Fort I–III patterns, zygomatic complex fractures (malar flattening, diplopia, infraorbital numbness), orbital blowout (entrapment, restricted upgaze, diplopia), mandibular fractures (occlusion, mental nerve numbness), and nasal bone fractures.
200 words, about 1 min10Basic Sciences
Integrate anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and pharmacology relevant to ENT. Know the temporal bone anatomy (middle ear cleft, ossicular chain, facial nerve course, labyrinth) and facial nerve segments (intracranial, meatal, labyrinthine, tympanic, mastoid, extratemporal).
414 words, about 2 min