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Otologic disorders and hearing loss

67 articles

Protruding ear

Protruding ear, also called prominent or bat ear, is a congenital auricular deformity with over 2 cm projection or auriculocephalic angle over 25 degrees, affecting about 5% of people, treated by infant ear molding or otoplasty.

Rinne test

Rinne test: bedside tuning-fork hearing test comparing air versus bone conduction to detect conductive hearing loss; described by Rinne in 1855 (earlier by Polansky 1842), positive when air conduction is better.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL): inner ear hearing loss from damaged cochlear hair cells or auditory nerve fibers, caused by aging, noise, ototoxic drugs, Ménière's disease, or genetics; permanent, managed with hearing aids, cochlear implants, and now OTOF gene therapy.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus: perception of sound without an external source (ringing, buzzing, roaring), also called tinnitus aurium. Affects 10-25% of adults; linked to hearing loss, noise exposure, and medications; no FDA-approved drug treatment.

Tympanosclerosis

Tympanosclerosis, also called myringosclerosis when limited to the eardrum, is calcified scar plaque formation in the tympanic membrane and middle ear after infection, surgery, or injury, often causing conductive hearing loss treated with tympanoplasty or hearing aids.

Tympanostomy tube

A tympanostomy tube, also called an ear tube or grommet, is a small tube inserted through the eardrum to drain fluid and ventilate the middle ear.

Weber test

Weber test: bedside hearing test, created by Ernst Heinrich Weber in 1834, placing a 512-Hz tuning fork on the midline skull; sound lateralizes toward a conductive loss and away from a sensorineural loss, complementing the Rinne test.