Key Points Otitis media is one of the most common diseases of childhood and may result in complications, including acute and chronic mastoiditis, petrositis, skull base osteomyelitis, intracranial infection, and the sequela of early childhood auditory deprivation. Acute otitis media…
Key Points An understanding of the efficacy and side-effect profile of prescription and nonprescription topical therapies is important for the successful management of the patient with a nonneoplastic condition of the external ear. Debridement under binocular microscopy (or otoendoscopy) in…
Key Points The external ear and ear canal are affected by various bacterial, fungal, and viral infections as well as noninfectious inflammatory conditions. Meticulous debridement of the ear canal is a crucial first step in managing all infections. Most cases…
Key Points Hearing loss, tinnitus, otalgia, otorrhea, and vertigo are symptoms of otologic disease. Queries into each of these symptom categories will assist the clinician in formulating a differential diagnosis. Taking a comprehensive history is critical for establishing a diagnosis…
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…