Assessment of Head, Neck, Eye, Ear, Nose, Throat, Mouth

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to the assessment of the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, throat, and mouth as discussed in the lecture notes.

Normocephalic

A term describing a head that is normal in size and shape.

Bruit

A soft, pulsating sound heard over blood vessels, indicative of turbulent blood flow.

Bell’s Palsy

A neurological condition that causes sudden, temporary weakness in the muscles on one side of the face.

Palpation

The act of examining a body part by touch, often to detect abnormalities.

Central Visual Acuity

A measure of the clarity of vision in the central visual field, often tested using a Snellen chart.

Conjunctiva

A clear membrane that coats the white part of the eyeball and lines the inside of the eyelids.

Diplopia

Also known as double vision, a condition where a person sees two images of a single object.

Transillumination test

A diagnostic procedure used to check for fluid or solid masses in the sinuses.

Otitis Media

An infection or inflammation of the middle ear.

Palpate

To examine by touch, an important technique in physical assessment.

Tympanic membrane

Also known as the eardrum, a membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and vibrates in response to sound.

PEARL

An acronym in pupil assessment standing for Pupils Equal and Reactive to Light.

Visual Field

The entire area that can be seen when the eyes are fixed in one position.

Sinusitis

Inflammation of the sinuses that can cause pain, pressure, and discharge.

Palpate the sinuses

To examine the sinus areas (frontal, ethmoid, maxillary) by touch to check for tenderness or abnormalities.

Grading tonsils

A method of evaluating the size of tonsils on a scale from 1+ to 4+, based on how far they extend in relation to anatomical landmarks.