Physical Examination and Health Assessment: Head, Neck, Eyes, and Ears Glossary

Vocabulary flashcards covering medical terminology for physical examination of the head, neck, eyes, and ears.

Bruit

Blowing, swooshing sound heard through the stethoscope over an area of abnormal blood flow

Dysphagia

Difficulty in swallowing

Goiter

Increase in size of thyroid gland that occurs with hyperthyroidism

Lymphadenopathy

Enlargement of the lymph nodes due to infection, allergy, or neoplasm

Macrocephalic

An abnormally large head

Microcephalic

An abnormally small head

Normocephalic

A round, symmetric skull that is appropriately related to body size

Torticollis

Head tilt due to shortening or spasm of one sternomastoid muscle

Vertigo

Illusory sensation of either the room or one's own body spinning (a spinning, twirling sensation); not the same as dizziness

Accommodation

Adaptation of the eye for near vision by increasing the curvature of the lens

Anisocoria

Unequal pupil size

Arcus senilis

Gray-white arc or circle around the limbus of the iris that is common with aging

Argyll Robertson pupil

Pupil does not react to light; does constrict with accommodation

Astigmatism

Refractive error of vision due to differences in curvature in refractive surfaces of the eye (cornea and lens)

A-V crossing

Crossing paths of an artery and vein in the ocular fundus

Bitemporal hemianopsia

Loss of both temporal visual fields

Blepharitis

Inflammation of the glands and eyelash follicles along the margin of the eyelids

Cataract

Opacity of the lens of the eye that develops slowly with aging and gradually obstructs vision

Chalazion

Infection or retention cyst of a meibomian gland, showing as a beady nodule on the eyelid

Conjunctivitis

Infection of the conjunctiva, "pinkeye"

Cotton wool area

Abnormal soft exudates visible as gray-white areas on the ocular fundus

Cup-to-disc ratio

Ratio of the width of the physiologic cup to the width of the optic disc, normally half or less

Diopter

Unit of strength of the lens settings on the ophthalmoscope that changes focus on the eye structures

Diplopia

Double vision

Drusen

Benign deposits on the ocular fundus that show as round yellow dots and occur commonly with aging

Ectropion

Lower eyelid loose and rolling outward

Entropion

Lower eyelid rolling inward

Exophthalmos

Protruding eyeballs

Fovea

Area of keenest vision at the center of the macula on the ocular fundus

Glaucoma

A group of eye diseases characterized by an increased intraocular pressure

Hordeolum (stye)

Red, painful pustule that is a localized infection of hair follicle at eyelid margin

Lid lag

Abnormal white rim of sclera visible between the upper eyelid and the iris when a person moves the eyes downward

Macula

Round darker area of the ocular fundus that mediates vision only from the central visual field

Microaneurysm

Abnormal finding of round red dots on the ocular fundus that are localized dilations of small vessels

Miosis

Constricted pupils

Mydriasis

Dilated pupils

Myopia

Nearsighted; refractive error in which near vision is better than far vision

Nystagmus

Involuntary, rapid, rhythmic movement of the eyeball

Optic atrophy

Pallor of the optic disc due to partial or complete death of optic nerve

Optic disc

Area of ocular fundus in which blood vessels exit and enter

Papilledema

Stasis of blood flow out of the ocular fundus; sign of increased intracranial pressure

Presbyopia

Decrease in power of accommodation that occurs with aging

Pterygium

Triangular opaque tissue on the nasal side of the conjunctiva that grows toward the center of the cornea

Ptosis

Drooping of upper eyelid over the iris and possibly covering the pupil

Red reflex

Red glow that appears to fill the person's pupil when first visualized through the ophthalmoscope

Strabismus (squint, crossed eye)

Disparity of the eye axes

Xanthelasma

Soft, raised yellow plaques occurring on the skin at the inner corners of the eyes

Annulus

Outer fibrous rim encircling the eardrum

Atresia

Congenital absence or closure of ear canal

Cerumen

Yellow waxy material that lubricates and protects the ear canal

Cochlea

Inner ear structure containing the central hearing apparatus

Eustachian tube

Connects the middle ear with the nasopharynx and allows the passage of air

Helix

Superior posterior free rim of the pinna

Incus

"Anvil"; middle of the 3 ossicles of the middle ear

Malleus

"Hammer"; outermost of the 3 ossicles of the middle ear

Mastoid

Bony prominence of the skull located just behind the ear

Organ of Corti

Sensory organ of hearing

Otalgia

Pain in the ear

Otitis externa

Inflammation of the outer ear and ear canal

Otitis media

Inflammation of the middle ear and tympanic membrane

Otorrhea

Discharge from the ear

Pars flaccida

Small, slack, superior section of the tympanic membrane

Pars tensa

Thick, taut, central-inferior section of the tympanic membrane

Pinna

Auricle, or outer ear

Stapes

"Stirrup"; innermost of the 3 ossicles of the middle ear

Tinnitus

Ringing in the ears

Tympanic membrane

"Eardrum"; thin, translucent, oval membrane that stretches across the ear canal and separates the middle ear from the outer ear

Umbo

Knob of the malleus that shows through the tympanic membrane