The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast #413: Common Ear Complaints, Ear Exam 101, Cerumen Remedies, and more! Get an EARful with Dr. Angela Peng!
14 snips
Oct 23, 2023 Dr. Angela Peng, an ENT expert, shares valuable insights on common ear complaints. Topics include ear exam skills, safely clearing earwax, Eustachian tube dysfunction, cholesteatoma, malignant otitis externa, and cerumen impaction. The episode also discusses itchy ears and open tympanic membrane treatments.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Ergonomic Otoscopy Technique
- Look at the unaffected ear first to establish a baseline before examining the symptomatic ear.
- Hold the otoscope with your hand braced on the cheek and use your pinky to stabilize the scope while watching the speculum enter the canal.
Learn Ears By Looking At Normal Ones
- Practice otoscopy on asymptomatic ears to learn normal anatomy and detect deviations easily.
- Repeated exposure builds confidence and speeds recognition of subtle abnormal findings.
Visual Clues For Middle Ear Fluid
- Use color and light reflex to judge middle-ear fluid; yellow/straw or purulent colors suggest pathology.
- Recognize chronic scarring and calcified plaques can obscure visualization and mimic pathology.