OMSB ENT (OEENT) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Kiesselbach plexus

Anterior septal vascular network fed by branches of the internal and external carotid systems; the most common site of epistaxis, especially in children and young adults.

Posterior epistaxis

Bleeding from the sphenopalatine artery region, often in older adults; blood runs posteriorly into the pharynx and may require posterior packing, arterial ligation, or embolization.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss

≥30 dB hearing loss across three contiguous frequencies developing within 72 hours; an otologic emergency treated with corticosteroids and MRI to exclude retrocochlear causes.

Acute otitis media triad

Diagnosis requires acute symptom onset, middle-ear effusion, and middle-ear inflammation; high-dose amoxicillin is first-line when antibiotics are indicated.

Otitis externa

Diffuse inflammation of the external auditory canal, usually bacterial after water exposure; treated with topical antibiotic drops and aural toilet, with a wick if the canal is edematous.

Cholesteatoma

Keratinizing squamous epithelium trapped in the middle ear or mastoid; locally destructive, causes painless otorrhea and conductive hearing loss, and requires surgical removal.

Tympanometry Type B

A flat tympanogram with no pressure peak, indicating middle-ear effusion, tympanic membrane perforation, or a mass in the middle ear.

Rinne test

Tuning fork comparison of air versus bone conduction; air conduction is normally better (positive Rinne), while a negative Rinne indicates conductive hearing loss in that ear.

Weber test

Tuning fork placed on the midline of the skull; sound lateralizes to the affected ear in unilateral conductive loss and to the better ear in unilateral sensorineural loss.

HINTS exam

Bedside test for vertigo: Head Impulse, Nystagmus, Test of Skew; a normal head impulse, direction-changing nystagmus, or skew deviation suggests a central cause.

Dix–Hallpike maneuver

Positioning test for posterior canal BPPV; a positive result produces upbeating torsional nystagmus with latency and fatigability, treated with the Epley repositioning maneuver.

Epley maneuver

Sequential head and body rotations that move displaced otoconia out of the posterior semicircular canal into the vestibule, relieving BPPV symptoms.

Meniere disease

Endolymphatic hydrops causing episodic vertigo lasting minutes to hours, fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness; managed with salt restriction, diuretics, and intratympanic therapy.

Vestibular schwannoma

Benign Schwann cell tumor of the vestibular nerve causing unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus; diagnosed with MRI and managed by observation, radiation, or surgery.

Presbycusis

Age-related bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, typically high-frequency, due to cochlear hair cell loss; managed with hearing aids and communication strategies.

Noise-induced hearing loss

Sensorineural loss from chronic loud noise exposure, classically with a 4 kHz notch on audiometry; prevention with hearing protection is key because damage is irreversible.

Tonsillectomy indications

Recurrent throat infections meeting frequency criteria, obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, or asymmetric enlargement suspicious for malignancy; post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage is the major complication.

Peritonsillar abscess

Collection between the tonsillar capsule and pharyngeal constrictor causing unilateral sore throat, trismus, and uvular deviation; treated with needle aspiration or incision and drainage plus antibiotics.

Epiglottitis

Acute supraglottic inflammation causing drooling, tripod positioning, and airway obstruction; a true emergency requiring controlled intubation and IV antibiotics, with no throat examination.

Croup

Viral laryngotracheitis causing barking cough and inspiratory stridor; treated with dexamethasone and nebulized epinephrine for moderate-to-severe symptoms.

Hoarseness red flag

Hoarseness lasting more than three weeks in an adult warrants laryngoscopy to exclude laryngeal carcinoma, especially with smoking, dysphagia, or a neck mass.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve

Branch of the vagus nerve supplying most intrinsic laryngeal muscles; left-sided injury is more common because of its longer course around the aortic arch.

Vocal fold nodules

Benign bilateral callus-like lesions at the junction of the anterior and middle thirds of the vocal folds, caused by voice abuse; treated with voice therapy.

Chronic rhinosinusitis

Symptoms lasting ≥12 weeks with objective mucosal inflammation; first-line therapy is saline irrigation plus intranasal corticosteroids, with surgery for refractory cases.

Allergic rhinitis first-line

Intranasal corticosteroids plus second-generation oral antihistamines; intranasal decongestants are limited to 3–5 days to avoid rhinitis medicamentosa.

Nasal polyps

Benign inflammatory outgrowths of nasal mucosa causing obstruction and anosmia; associated with asthma and aspirin sensitivity; treated with intranasal or oral corticosteroids and surgery if refractory.

Obstructive sleep apnea

Apnea-hypopnea index ≥5 with symptoms or ≥15 alone on polysomnography; CPAP is first-line for moderate-severe disease, with surgery as adjunct.

Pleomorphic adenoma

Most common benign salivary gland tumor, typically a slow-growing parotid mass; treated with surgical excision with margin to reduce recurrence risk.

Sialolithiasis

Salivary duct stone causing meal-related pain and swelling; managed with hydration, sialogogues, and sialendoscopy or excision for recurrent cases.

Adult neck mass rule

A persistent neck mass in an adult is malignancy until proven otherwise; evaluate with nasolaryngoscopy and fine-needle aspiration, as squamous cell carcinoma is most common.

Thyroglossal duct cyst

Midline neck mass that moves with tongue protrusion, arising from remnants of the thyroglossal duct; treated with Sistrunk procedure to reduce recurrence.

Facial nerve palsy

Peripheral palsy involves the entire hemiface including the forehead; Bell palsy is idiopathic and treated with corticosteroids within 72 hours, while forehead sparing suggests central lesion.