Iraqi Board ENT key terms

A destructive accumulation of keratinizing squamous epithelium and trapped keratin debris within the middle ear or mastoid, eroding bone and commonly presenting with foul otorrhea and conductive hearing loss.

An inward collapse of the tympanic membrane's tense portion into the middle ear, usually from negative middle-ear pressure; a deep, self-cleansing pocket that retains keratin may progress to acquired cholesteatoma.

Loss of continuity of the malleus, incus, or stapes from inflammatory or cholesteatomatous disease, producing a conductive hearing loss; the long process of the incus is most frequently affected.

A surgical approach to extensive cholesteatoma in which the posterior canal wall is removed, exteriorizing the mastoid cavity; it lowers recurrence risk but creates a cavity needing lifelong cleaning and may cause vertigo.

Failure of the tube to ventilate or drain the middle ear, causing negative pressure, retraction, effusion, and predisposition to chronic otitis media. Causes include mucosal swelling, obesity, and craniofacial anomalies.

Brief vertigo triggered by head position change, caused by displaced otoconia within a semicircular canal; diagnosed by the Dix-Hallpike test and treated with canalith repositioning maneuvers.

A positional maneuver in which the seated patient's head is turned and lowered rapidly, eliciting characteristic torsional nystagmus with latency and fatigue if posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is present.

A six-level clinical scale (I normal to VI total paralysis) describing facial nerve function, widely used to record severity of facial palsy and outcomes after decompression or grafting.

Surgical removal of bone over the facial nerve to relieve pressure in acute severe palsy or after temporal bone trauma; the labyrinthine segment is the narrowest and most vulnerable portion.

Symptomatic inflammation of the nose and paranasal sinuses lasting twelve weeks or more, with nasal obstruction, discharge, facial pain, or smell loss plus endoscopic or radiological evidence of mucosal disease.

Bilateral benign inflammatory outgrowths of edematous sinus mucosa arising typically from the middle meatus, causing obstruction and anosmia; associated with asthma, aspirin sensitivity, and type 2 inflammation.

The combination of aspirin sensitivity, bronchial asthma, and nasal polyposis, reflecting a type 2 inflammatory disorder in which cyclooxygenase inhibition shifts arachidonic acid toward leukotrienes.

A computed tomography staging system scoring opacification of each sinus and the ostiomeatal complex from zero to two, giving a total out of twenty-four to quantify chronic rhinosinusitis.

An endoscopic procedure opening the ostiomeatal complex and diseased sinus partitions to restore ventilation and mucociliary clearance, used when maximal medical therapy for chronic rhinosinusitis fails.

The common drainage pathway on the lateral nasal wall formed by the middle meatus, ethmoid infundibulum, and maxillary ostium; obstruction here is a key mechanism in chronic rhinosinusitis.

The principal arterial supply to the nasal cavity, entering through the sphenopalatine foramen; its branches are the target of endoscopic ligation for severe posterior epistaxis.

Bleeding from branches of the sphenopalatine artery behind the middle turbinate, often profuse and running down the pharynx; it responds poorly to anterior packing and may need endoscopic ligation.

Squamous carcinoma of the true vocal fold; because lymphatics are sparse, it presents early with persistent hoarseness and metastasizes late, giving relatively good prognosis and favoring larynx-preserving treatment.

Surgical removal of cervical lymph node levels, classified as radical, modified radical, selective, or extended, for staging and treating regional metastasis from head and neck cancers.

A minimally invasive sampling technique using a thin needle to obtain cells from a neck mass, thyroid nodule, or salivary gland; reported by the Bethesda system for thyroid lesions.

The commonest differentiated thyroid malignancy, spreading via lymphatics and showing characteristic nuclear clearing, grooves, and inclusions; prognosis is excellent and treatment is surgery with selective radioiodine.

A branch of the vagus looping under the aortic arch on the left and the subclavian artery on the right to supply all intrinsic laryngeal muscles except the cricothyroid; it is at risk in thyroid and neck surgery.

The most common benign salivary gland tumor, typically a slow-growing painless parotid mass with epithelial and stromal elements; incomplete excision leads to recurrence and malignant transformation.

Bilateral symmetric callous swellings at the junction of the anterior and middle thirds of the vocal folds, caused by phonotrauma and producing hoarseness; first-line treatment is voice therapy.

Endoscopic laryngeal imaging synchronized to a flashing light source that creates an apparent slow-motion view of vocal fold vibration, revealing mucosal wave, symmetry, and closure patterns.

Any disorder of voice production perceived as altered quality, pitch, loudness, or effort; assessment distinguishes organic lesions from functional and neurological causes and guides voice therapy or surgery.

Immobility of a vocal fold from injury or disease of the recurrent laryngeal nerve or vagus, causing hoarseness, breathy voice, and aspiration risk; the left side is affected more often.

Creation of a surgical opening between the trachea and the skin surface, used to bypass upper airway obstruction, protect the airway, or facilitate prolonged ventilation and weaning.

Narrowing of the airway below the vocal folds, most often from prolonged intubation or autoimmune disease, presenting with stridor and exertional dyspnea; managed by dilation, laser, or resection with anastomosis.

Fluid in the middle ear without acute infection, common in young children after upper respiratory illness; causes conductive hearing loss and is managed by observation, then ventilation tube insertion if persistent.

Enlargement of the adenoids and palatine tonsils causing nasal obstruction, mouth breathing, snoring, and sleep-disordered breathing in children; adenotonsillectomy is the usual treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.

Repetitive upper airway collapse during sleep causing oxygen desaturation and arousals; in children it presents with snoring, restless sleep, and daytime behavior problems, often with adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

A congenital epithelial remnant presenting as a lateral neck mass, most often along the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid; second branchial cleft anomalies are the commonest type.

A midline congenital neck swelling arising from persistent thyroglossal duct epithelium, moving upward on tongue protrusion; treatment is Sistrunk procedure to remove the cyst and central hyoid bone.

The commonest cause of infant stridor, in which flaccid supraglottic tissue prolapses into the airway on inspiration, worsening with feeding and lying supine; most cases resolve spontaneously.

Office-based examination with a flexible fiberoptic endoscope passed through the nose to inspect the pharynx, larynx, and vocal folds, essential for assessing hoarseness, stridor, and swallowing disorders.

Behavioral testing that determines hearing thresholds in decibels across octave frequencies, distinguishing conductive loss from sensorineural loss by comparing air and bone conduction.

An objective test measuring acoustic admittance of the middle ear as pressure varies, classifying the tympanogram into types A, B, and C to detect effusion, perforation, or Eustachian tube dysfunction.

Low-intensity sounds generated by outer hair cell motility and recorded in the ear canal, providing an objective quick screen for cochlear function, especially in newborns and difficult-to-test children.

Objective recording of eye movements with infrared video during caloric, positional, and oculomotor tasks, used to localize peripheral versus central vestibular dysfunction by comparing canal responses.