Ears

• Ear 


  Sense organ of hearing and equilibrium
• Tympanic Membrane


  Separates the external ear from the middle ear.
• External Ear and Tympanic Membrane


  Parts of the eat that can be assessed by direct inspection
• Cerumen


  Excreted by modified sweat glands in the external canal
• Auditory Ossicles: Malleus, Incus, Stapes


  Tiny bones that are responsible for transmitting sound waves from the eardrum to the inner ear through the oval window
• Eustachian Tube


  Equalizes air pressure on both sides of the tympanic membrane, which connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx
• Darwin Tubercle 


  Small prominence on the auricle of the ear, but clinically insignificant

  
• Actual Hearing


  Takes places when sound waves are channelled through the auditory canal, causing the tympanic membrane to vibrate
• Conductive hearing


  Transmission of sound waves through the external and middle ears
• Perceptive or "Sensorineural Hearing"


  Transmission of sound waves in the inner ear
• Conductive Hearing Loss


  Occurs when something blocks or impairs the passage of vibration to the inner ear.

  BC>AR
• Conductive impairment 


  Not uncommon in older client due to greater incidence of cerumen buildup or atrophy or sclerosis of the tympanic membrane
• Sensorineural Hearing Loss


  Related to dysfunction of the inner ear.

  AC>BC

  Most common type of permanent hearing loss.
• Organ of Corti


  Sensory organ for hearing, connected to the auditory nerve.
• Otorrhea


  Ear drainage

  Indicates infection
• Otalgia


  Ear pain
• Tinnitus


  Ringing sound in the ears
• Otitis


  Inflammation of the ear that can be classifies as otitis media or otitis externa
• Otitis Media


  Inflammation of middle ear
• Otitis Externa


  Inflammation of outer ear (pinna to external auditory canal)
• Otosclerosis


  Fusion of the ossicles. It obstructs transmission of sound waves from the tympanic membrane to inner ear, reducing hearing ability.
• Presbycusis


  Degenerative hearing loss classified under sensorineural hearing loss. Cessation / decrease in function of the nerves, particularly the cochlear nerve.
• Otoscope


  Flashlight-type viewer used to visualize the eardrum and the external ear canal

  Speculum

  Body: Contains light source
• Microtia


  Congenital deformity in which the external eye and sometimes the ear canal are not fully developed.

  
• Macrotia


  Congenital excessive enlargement of the external ear
• Weber test


  This test helps evaluate the conduction of sound waves through bone to help distinguish between conductive or sensorineural hearing. This test is used for evaluating hearing loss

  
• Rinne Test 


  Used to determine the cause of hearing loss, if conduction or sensorineural. It compares air and bone conduction.

  
• Romberg Test 


  tests the clients equilibrium.
• Otitis Externa


  Narrow auditory canal that is reddish in color or has swelling, accompanied with pain.

  
• Exostosis (Surfer's ear)


  Abnormal bone growth within the ear canal due to chronic irritation, heredity, or unknown reasons.