General Otolaryngology - History, Physical Examination, and Preoperative Evaluation

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the General Otolaryngology lecture notes covering clinical examination and preoperative management concepts.

Pack-year

A numerical measure of lifetime tobacco exposure defined as 20 cigarettes smoked every day for 1 year.

Battle sign

Ecchymosis overlying the mastoid process following trauma, which is indicative of a temporal bone fracture.

Pars flaccida

The superior portion of the tympanic membrane that lacks radial and circular fibers, representing the most common site for retraction pockets, debris, and cholesteatoma.

Tympanic Membrane Anatomy

Anatomical features of the ear drum including the pars flaccida, posterior mallear fold, lateral process of malleus, malleus handle, and umbo.

Weber test

A tuning fork test performed by placing a vibrating 512-Hz fork in the midline of the forehead, bridge of the nose, or central incisors to evaluate for hearing lateralization.

Rinne test

A tuning fork test that compares air conduction to bone conduction by alternating a vibrating 512-Hz fork between the mastoid process and the ear canal.

Kiesselbach plexus

An area on the anterior nasal septum where branches of the external and internal carotid arteries anastomose, serving as a frequent source of epistaxis.

Fordyce spots

Small yellow spots in the buccal mucosa that represent normal sebaceous glands.

Brodsky scale

A grading scale for tonsil size ranging from Grade 0 (tonsils entirely inside the fossa) to Grade 4+ (tonsils occupying more than 75% of the oropharyngeal width).

Kissing tonsils

A condition in which enlarged palatine tonsils touch each other in the midline of the oropharynx.

Tonsilliths

Yellow or white concretions residing within the tonsillar crypts that frequently cause halitosis.

Petiole of the epiglottis

A normal peaked anatomic prominence on the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis situated above the anterior commissure of the true vocal folds.

Reinke edema

Diffuse vocal fold edema extending along the entire length of the true vocal folds, frequently associated with chronic tobacco abuse.

Brown sign

Blanching of a vascular middle ear mass (such as a glomus tumor) observed during pneumatic otoscopy.

Chvostek sign

Facial nerve hyperactivity elicited by tapping over the main trunk of the nerve in the parotid region, indicating latent hypocalcemia.

Trousseau sign

Spasm of the fingers and wrist triggered by inflating a blood pressure cuff for several minutes, signaling latent hypocalcemia.

Thyroid storm

A life-threatening exacerbation of hyperthyroidism that manifests with severe tachycardia and hypertension.

Level VI neck lymph nodes

The central compartment lymph nodes of the neck, including pretracheal, paratracheal, precricoid (Delphian), and perithyroid nodes bounded laterally by the common carotid arteries.

UPSIT

University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test; a formal standardized test used to evaluate Cranial Nerve I (olfactory) function.

American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Facial Nerve Grading System

A standard system for reporting gradations of facial nerve function ranging from Grade I (normal facial function at all times) to Grade VI (total paralysis).