PART 7 — EARS
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Study use: Rapid otology revision covering ear anatomy, tympanic membrane, external- and middle-ear disease, hearing loss, audiology, vertigo, mastoid/skull-base complications, tumors, hearing rehabilitation, and time-sensitive ear emergencies. Management points are intentionally concise and should be interpreted with the clinical context.
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Priority Guide: 🔴 Core / Must Know | 🟠 Important | 🟡 Additional
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🎯 High-Yield Overview
- Tragal/pinna-movement pain → otitis externa; older patient with diabetes + severe nocturnal otalgia + canal granulation → necrotizing otitis externa / skull-base osteomyelitis.
- Bulging tympanic membrane → acute otitis media; painless middle-ear effusion + flat tympanogram → OME/glue ear.
- Attic/marginal disease + keratin → cholesteatoma; antibiotics may control infection but do not eradicate it.
- Postauricular swelling after AOM → acute mastoiditis; otorrhea + retro-orbital pain + CN VI palsy → Gradenigo syndrome.
- Rinne negative → conductive loss; Rinne positive with Weber to the better ear → sensorineural loss.
- 2-kHz Carhart notch → otosclerosis; 4-kHz notch → noise-induced SNHL.
- BPPV: seconds + position + Dix-Hallpike → Epley. Ménière: vertigo + fluctuating SNHL + tinnitus + aural fullness.
- Vestibular neuritis: vertigo without hearing loss; labyrinthitis: vertigo + hearing loss.
- Pulsatile tinnitus + red retrotympanic mass → glomus/paraganglioma; image before biopsy consideration.
- Sudden unilateral SNHL is time-sensitive and requires urgent audiometry/ENT assessment.
1. EAR ANATOMY, INNER-EAR PHYSIOLOGY & TYMPANIC MEMBRANE
2. EXTERNAL EAR — OTITIS EXTERNA, OTOMYCOSIS & PINNA DISEASE
3. ACUTE OTITIS MEDIA & OTITIS MEDIA WITH EFFUSION
4. CSOM, CHOLESTEATOMA & LABYRINTHINE FISTULA
5. MASTOIDITIS & OTITIC SKULL-BASE COMPLICATIONS
6. HEARING LOSS, TUNING-FORK TESTS & TYMPANOMETRY