Ear, Nose and Throat
Anatomy
The tympanic membrane/the eardrum : le tympan
The auditory/Eustachian tube : la trompe d’Eustache
The auditory ossicles : les osselets
The malleus /the hammer : le marteau
The incus/ anvil : l’enclume
Round window (fenestra cochleae) : la fenêtre ronde
The labyrinth : le labyrinthe
The bony labyrinth : le labyrinthe osseux
Stape : étrier
Hair receptor cells : les cellules ciliées réceptrices
Rods and cones : bâtonnets et cones
The external /outer ear : l’oeille externe
The middle ear : l’oreille moyenne
The internal/inner ear : l’oreille interne
The apex/the tip : la pointe, le bout
Nostril : la narine
The wing : l’aile
The oral cavity : la cavité buccale
The hard palate : la palais osseux
The soft palate : le voile du palais
The uvula : la luette
The nasopharynx : le rhinopharynx
Tonsils : amygdales
The spiral organ /organ of Corti: l’organe de corti
The sinuses : les sinus
The nasal cavity : la cavité nasale
Symptoms and Diseases
Warning symptoms : symptomes avant-coureurs
Pallor : paleur
Cold sweats : sueurs froides
Drowsiness : torpeur/somnolence
Roaring/ringing in the ears : tintement d’oreilles
Hoarseness : enrouement
Be hoarse : être enroué
Loss of voice : perte de la voix
Dizziness : vertiges
Vertigo : le vertige
Deafness : surdité
Hearing impairment : deficit auditif
Hearing loss : perte d’audition
Deafness : surdité
Tinnitus : acouphène
Perforated eardrum : tympan perforé
A hole : une perforation tumpanique
Labyrinthitis : labyrinthite
Otitis : otite
Rhinitis : rhinite
Tonsillitis : amygdalite
Laryngitis : laryngite
Otosclerosis : ostopongiose
Scarlet Fever (streptococcal infection) : scarlatine
Acoustic Neuroma : neurinome de l’acoustique
Additional vocabulary
Taste : le goût
Sense of smell: odorat
Neck : cou
Eyelid : paupière
Hairs : poils
Cerumen : cerumen
Wax : cire
Swallowing : la déglutition
Equilibrium/ balance : l’équilibre
Scuba diving : plongée sous marine
Ear swab : coton tige
Hearing-aid : prothèse auditive
Low-pitched sound : son grave
High-pitched sound : son aigu
Useful verbs
Snore : ronfler
Ring : tinter /sonner
Vibrate : vibrer
Swallow : avaler
Whisper : chuchoter
Buzz : bourdonner
Inhale : inhaler
Sneeze : éternuer
Itch : éprouver des démangeaisons
Yawn : bâiller
Blink : cligner
Clinical examination
Does your ear hurt /ache?
Have you ever had an injury around your ear?
Did you bleed from your ear?
Have you ever had an ear infection?
Have you ever had a foreign body in your ear?
Have you ever had a discharge from your ear?
Was your hearing affected at this time?
Did you feel dizzy?
Do you think you have trouble hearing?
When did you first notice this deafness?
Are you exposed to loud noises at work?
Do you have a buzzing or hearing in your ears?
Does the weather affect your hearing?
Have you had sinusitis recently?
Are you allergic to anything?
Is your nose blocked? (bouché)
Does your nose itch?
Do you eve have nosebleeds?
Have you had tonsillitis recently?
Have you had your tonsils out?
Do you have a constant urge to clear your throat?
Have you ever coughed up blood?
Does your throat tickle? (chatouillements)
Has your voice changed?
Is your voice husky at times? (rauque)
Does it tire you to talk?
Are you able to cough?
Is it a dry cough /wet cough?
Does the coughing come in bouts? (par quintes)
Physical examination
Tilt your head back : inclinez la tête en arrière
Turn your head slightly towards me : tournez la tête légèrement vers moi
I am going to perform an exam of your ear canal : je vais examiner votre conduit auditif
Breathe in and out slowly with your mouth open
Stick out your tongue
Breathe through your mouth
Case reports:
Question 1: Diagnosis of ENT diseases
A. Malignant otitis externa
B. Rhinocerebral mucormycosis
C. Lymphoma
D. Quinsy
E. Otitis externa
For each patient below, chose the single most likely diagnosis from the above list of options.
1. A 50-year-old poorly controlled diabetic woman presents with periorbital and perinasal swelling with bloody nasal discharge. On examination, the nasal mucosa is black and necrotic.
2. A 25-year-old man presents with worsening sore throat. On examination he has trismus and unilateral enlargement of his right tonsil.
3. A 60-year-old woman is noted to have unilateral tonsillar enlargement. She denies sore throat.
4. A 30-year-old woman complains of otalgia and purulent discharge from the right ear. On examination, the external auditory meatus is swollen, and the canal is inflamed and filled with a creamy white discharge.
5. A 60-year-old diabetic woman complains of sever otalgia. On examination, she has granulation tissue in her ear canal.
Question 2: Diagnosis of hearing problems
A. Otosclerosis
B. Otitis externa
C. Chronic secretory otitis media
D. Dead Ear
E. Presbyacusis
For each patient below, chose the single most likely diagnosis from the above list of options.
1. A 70-year-old man presents with gradual deterioration of hearing in both ears. His Weber tuning fork test is nonlateralising, and his Rime test is positive on both sides. His tympanic membranes are intact and healthy.
2. A 60-year-old man presents with unilateral earache, diminished hearing, and foul-smelling discharge. The external auditory meatus is oedematous, and the canal is stenosed. The discharge is white and creamy in nature.
3. A 40-year-old woman presents with diminished hearing in the right ear. She denies earache or discharge. She is noted to have blue sclerae. The tympanic membrane is normal. The Weber tuning fork test lateralises to the right side, and the Rinne is negative on the right.
4. A 4-year-old girl presents to her GP with diminised hearing noted by the school. On examination, she has a bulging yellow tympanic membrane on the right alone.
5. A 70-year-old female presents with longstanding deafness in the left ear. The Weber lateralises to he right, and the Rinne is negative on the left.
Question 3: Causes of vertigo
A. Benign positional vertigo
B. Meniere’s disease
C. Musculoskeletal disease
D. Acute vestibular neuronitis
E. Acoustic Neuroma
For each presentation below, choose the single most likely cause from the above list of options.
1. A 50-year-old woman presents with repeated episodes of fluctuating hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus lasting hours over the past few months.
2. A 50-year-old man presents with vertigo when rolling over in bed. She also notices that she gets dizzy when bending over or reaching for the top shelf.
3. A 70-year-old woman presents with vertigo when rolling over in bed. She also notices that she gets dizzy when bending over or reaching for the top shelf.
4. A 56-year-old man complains of dizziness ever since he was a passenger in a car involved in a road traffic accident. His hearing is intact.
5. A 20-year-old anxious woman presents with profound vertigo following an upper respiratory tract infection lasting days.
