Intro Audiology: Module 8 Hearing Disorders and Pathology - External Ear

- About 2.5 cm long.

How long is the ear canal?

- In the outer 1/3 of the ear canal.

2. Where are the hair follicles and sebaceous glands located in the ear canal?

- In the outer 1/3 of the ear canal.

3. Where is earwax produced?

bone

4. What is the inner 2/3 of the ear canal made of?

- Looking inside the ear canal and examining the tympanic membrane (eardrum).

5. What is an otoscope used for?

- Disorders that are present at birth because a body part did not develop normally.

6. What are congenital disorders?

- Complete absence of the pinna (outer ear).

7. What is anotia?

- Partial development of the pinna (outer ear).

8. What is microtia?

- Conductive hearing loss.

9. What type of hearing loss can anotia and microtia cause?

- No

10. Does microtia cause substantial hearing loss?

- Major cosmetic problems.

11. What is the main problem associated with microtia?

- 5% genetic, 50% associated with a syndrome, and 45% unknown.

12. What are the causes of microtia?

- Males (about 2.5 times more common).

13. Is microtia more common in males or females?

- One ear (unilateral).

14. Is microtia more likely to affect one ear or both?

- The right ear.

15. Which ear is affected more often by microtia?

- Small extra pieces of tissue on the outer ear.

16. What are ear tags?

- Small openings or connections between the skin and underlying tissue.

17. What are ear pits and sinuses?

- No, they are usually harmless and mainly cosmetic.

18. Are ear tags usually dangerous?

- Incomplete closure of embryologic tissue.

19. What causes ear pits and sinuses?

- Kidney (renal) abnormalities.

20. What can ear pits sometimes be associated with?

- Complete absence or closure of the ear canal.

21. What is aural atresia?

- The ear canal fails to develop properly.

22. What causes aural atresia?

- An abnormally narrow ear canal.

23. What is aural stenosis?

• Atresia = ear canal is closed or absent.

• Stenosis = ear canal is too narrow.

24. What is the difference between atresia and stenosis?

• 
  

sometimes, yes

25. Is the eardrum visible with stenosis?

- Microtia and abnormalities of the middle ear bones (ossicles).

26. What is aural atresia often associated with?

yes

27. Does aural atresia always involve the ossicles?

- Inflammation of the ear canal.

28. What is otitis externa?

- Bacterial or fungal infections.

29. What causes otitis externa?

- It frequently occurs in swimmers.

30. Why is otitis externa called swimmer's ear?

- Itching, swelling, redness, and white discharge.

31. What are symptoms of otitis externa?

yes

32. Can otitis externa be acute or chronic?

- By wearing earplugs.

33. How can swimmers prevent otitis externa?

- Ear molds can trap moisture inside the ear canal.

34. Why should hearing aid users dry their ears before wearing hearing aids?

- A normal substance that protects the ear canal.

35. What is earwax?

- It is acidic, antimicrobial, and water-repellent.

36. What are the protective functions of earwax?

- When earwax builds up and blocks the ear canal.

37. What is earwax impaction?

- Cotton swabs, hearing aids, or narrow ear canals.

38. What can cause earwax impaction?

- Fullness, conductive hearing loss, tinnitus, and itching.

39. What are symptoms of earwax impaction?

- Objects that become stuck inside the ear canal.

40. What are foreign bodies in the ear?

- Beans, beads, and artificial fingernails.

41. What are examples of foreign bodies?

kids

42. Who commonly gets foreign bodies in the ear?

- An acquired deformity of the outer ear caused by trauma.

43. What is cauliflower ear?

- Wrestlers and prizefighters.

44. Who is at high risk for cauliflower ear?

- Trauma separates the cartilage from its connective tissue.

45. What causes cauliflower ear?

- A hematoma forms.

46. What happens when blood collects in the outer ear?

- A collection of blood in an area of tissue.

47. What is a hematoma?

- No, it will not return to its normal shape unless treated.

48. Does cauliflower ear return to normal without treatment?

- No, hearing is normally unaffected.

49. Does cauliflower ear affect hearing?

- A malignant tumor commonly found on the pinna.

50. What is squamous cell carcinoma?

- Malignant.

51. Is squamous cell carcinoma benign or malignant?

- Yes, but metastasis is uncommon.

52. Can squamous cell carcinoma spread?

- Prolonged exposure to sunlight, cold, or radiation.

53. What are possible causes of squamous cell carcinoma?

- Thickened skin and a painless area.

54. What are characteristics of squamous cell carcinoma?

- A hole or tear in the eardrum.

55. What is a tympanic membrane perforation?

- Middle ear infections, pressure buildup, trauma, or sudden pressure changes.

56. What can cause a tympanic membrane perforation?

- Cotton swabs, hairpins, hand claps, or loud noises.

57. What are examples of traumatic eardrum perforations?

- The size and location of the perforation.

58. What determines how much hearing loss a perforation causes?

- Yes, traumatic perforations tend to recover spontaneously more often.

59. Do traumatic perforations usually heal better than disease-related perforations?

- Surgery to repair the tympanic membrane.

60. What is myringoplasty?

- Thickening of the tympanic membrane.

61. What is tympanosclerosis?

- Conductive hearing loss.

62. What type of hearing loss is most common with external ear disorders?

- Conductive hearing loss.

63. What does pure tone audiometry often show with external ear disorders?

- Normal middle ear function.

64. What is a Type A tympanogram?

- A flat tympanogram showing reduced or absent tympanic membrane movement.

65. What is a Type B tympanogram?

- Middle ear fluid, eardrum perforation, or earwax blockage.

66. What conditions can cause a Type B tympanogram?

- Excessive movement due to detached middle ear bones.

67. What is a Type Ad tympanogram associated with in the slides?

- They help assess cochlear function.

68. What do otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) tell us?

- It may be reduced or absent.

69. What happens to OAE amplitude with external ear or tympanic membrane problems?

- Yes, ear canal blockage or middle ear problems can prevent OAEs from being recorded properly.

70. Can OAEs be absent even if cochlear function is normal?