Otology/Neurotology Questions

March 22nd, 2023

A 6-year-old is brought to clinic for repeat evaluation of hearing loss. Which of the following characteristics would be most suggestive of congenital stapes fixation?
 
A.  The patient has a recent history of multiple ear infections
B.  There is conductive hearing loss that has worsened since the prior visit
C.  Otoscopy reveals a perforated tympanic membrane
D.  All of the above
E.  None of the above

January 25th, 2023

A 43-year-old woman is seen in the clinic for 3 days of left-sided hearing loss. She had a productive cough and stuffy nose one week ago while on vacation in Hawaii. She states she had stabbing pain in her left ear during plane descent on her return flight and that the flight attendant’s pre-landing announcements sounded muffled. She also noticed blood on the tissue she used to rub her ear canal during landing. All symptoms have resolved except her unilateral hearing loss. What is the next step in management?

A. Tympanoplasty

B. Irrigation of the external auditory canal

C. Oral antibiotics + steroids

D. Topical antibiotics

E. Reassurance

October 12th, 2022

A three-year-old is brought into the clinic for evaluation. The following is seen on her otoscopy exam. She has no history of otitis media or previous otologic procedures.

Which of the following is most likely to be true in this patient’s case?

A. Surgical intervention is not indicated because the cause of this patient’s presentation is not infectious and can be treated medically.

B. The likely etiology of this patient’s presentation involves perforation of the eardrum.

C. This finding likely arose from trapped squamous epithelium during embryogenesis.

D. If left untreated, this patient is most likely to develop sensorineural, rather than conductive, hearing loss.