Key Points Superb equipment with which to visualize and perform image-guided neurologic interventional procedures is of paramount importance. The balloon occlusion test should be accompanied by an imaging procedure to evaluate the effects on cerebral blood flow during carotid occlusion.…
Key Points Computed tomography (CT) evaluation of the temporal bone with and without contrast enhancement shows bony erosion and adjacent soft tissue inflammation and/or abscess in cases of malignant external otitis. Cholesteatoma has distinct imaging characteristics on magnetic resonance imaging…
Key Points The assessment and diagnosis of auditory function are integral clinical components of clinical decision making in otology. Diagnosis of hearing loss is often based on a battery of audiologic tests that help define the type and severity of…
Key Points With an aging population, the number of older Americans is rapidly growing and becoming increasingly diverse. Demographics, such as race/ethnicity and socioeconomic position, and health-related factors have significant influence on the overall health of older adults, and otolaryngologists…
Key Points Neuroplastic changes in hearing loss and deafness are evident across the human lifespan. There are brief sensitive periods in early childhood during which the central auditory pathways are maximally plastic. Audiological intervention within these critical windows may allow…
Key Points The eustachian tube contains a valve and serves three primary functions: (1) ventilating and equalizing pressure in the middle ear space, (2) draining secretions from the middle ear cavity by mucociliary clearance, and (3) protecting the middle ear…
Key Points The eustachian tube is involved in pressure equalization, mucociliary clearance, and middle ear protection. The principal dilator of the eustachian tube is the tensor veli palatini muscle. Anatomic changes in the tube with growth and development include increased…
Key Points The labyrinth develops from the otic placode, which invaginates to become the otic pit and then pinches off to form the otic cyst, or otic vesicle. The vertical canals are oriented at 45 degrees with regard to the…
Key Points The external ear funnels acoustic signals into the ear and plays an important role in sound localization. The middle ear matches the impedance between the air-filled external environment and the fluid-filled inner ear. The inner ear has two…
Key Points The neuroanatomy of the central and peripheral auditory systems reflects their function: to extract specific information from the complex waveforms of speech, music, and environmental sounds. The cochlea is organized tonotopically, with low frequencies processed at the apex…