Module 9: EENT Disorders
Module Authors
Brian Tessier, PA-C
Adjunct Professor
Department of Physician Assistant Education
Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
Physician Assistant
Central Avenue Urgent Care, Montclair, CA
Rosslynn S. Byous, MS, PA-C
Assistant Professor, Department of Physician Assistant Education
Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
Tina M. Meyer, PA-C
Clinical Consultant and Adjunct Professor
Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
Review Concepts
Review Concept 1: Vision Impairment and Loss
By the end of this Review Concept you should be able to:
- List some of the common causes of blurred vision, vision loss, and visual defects
- Describe the different types of refractive errors and how they affect vision
- Describe the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic workup, and clinical management of cataracts
- Describe the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic workup, and clinical management of retinal detachment (rhegmatogenous detachment)
- Differentiate the clinical presentation and management of rhegmatogenous detachment, exudative detachment (macular degeneration), and tractional detachment (diabetic retinopathy)
- Differentiate the clinical presentation and management of diabetic, hypertensive, and allergic retinopathy
- Describe the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic workup, and clinical management of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and giant cell (temporal) arteritis
- Differentiate the clinical presentation and management of acute (angle-closure) glaucoma and chronic (open angle) glaucoma
- Describe the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic workup, and clinical management of papilledema
- List various types of visual field defects and their clinical consequences
- Describe the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic workup, and clinical management of strabismus
Review Concept 2: Infectious Disorders of the Eye
By the end of this Review Concept you should be able to:
- List differential diagnoses for red eye
- Differentiate the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and management of viral, bacterial, and allergic conjunctivitis
- Describe the etiology, diagnostic workup, and clinical management of the following eye disorders:
- Blepharitis
- Corneal disease and corneal abrasions
- Uveitis
- Optic neuritis
- Orbital cellulitis
- Dacryocystitis
- Orbital and periorbital contusions
- Subconjunctival hemorrhage
- Hyphema
- Ocular burns
Review Concept 3: Hearing Impairment and Loss
By the end of this Review Concept you should be able to:
- Differentiate the three types of hearing loss.
- Describe in general terms the incidence, pathogenesis, etiology, and clinical management of:
- Conductive hearing loss
- Sensory and sensorineural hearing loss
- Neural hearing loss
- List areas to explore during the interview of the patient with suspected hearing loss
- Outline procedures for the physical examination of the patient with suspected hearing loss
- Describe the purpose and procedures for conducting the following clinical and audiometric tests:
- Spoken word
- Tuning fork
- Weber test
- Rinne test
- Speech recognition
- Brain Stem Auditory Evoked Potentials (BSAEP)
- State the audiometric values for normal hearing, as well as for mild, moderate, severe, and profound hearing loss
Review Concept 4: External Ear and Auditory Tube Dysfunction
By the end of this Review Concept you should be able to:
- List four classic diagnostic indicators of external ear disorders
- Identify external ear disorders that are characterized by discharge in the external auditory meatus
- Differentiate the pathogenesis, etiology, clinical presentation, and management of otitis externa and otitis media
- Identify external ear disorders that are characterized by displacement of the pinna of the external ear
- Differentiate the pathogenesis, etiology, clinical presentation and management of mastoiditis, parotitis, and periauricular cellulitis as potential causes of displacement.
- Describe the clinical significance of discoloration of the external ear.
- State the significance of Battle sign
- Identify external ear disorders that are characterized by deformity
- Discuss treatment considerations for external ear deformities
- Describe the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of auditory tube dysfunction
- Describe clinical management of auditory tube dysfunction
Review Concept 5: Sinusitis and Pharyngitis
By the end of this Review Concept you should be able to:
- Describe the epidemiology of sinusitis, including prevalence, etiology, and risk factors
- Describe the clinical presentation of sinusitis.
- Outline procedures and common findings for the diagnostic workup of sinusitis
- Describe pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions used in the clinical management of patients with sinusitis
- List possible complications of sinusitis.
- Describe the epidemiology and clinical presentation of pharyngitis/tonsillitis
- Outline procedures and common findings for the diagnostic workup of pharyngitis/tonsillitis
- Differentiate fundamental management approaches for pharyngitis/tonsillitis
- Describe specific interventions for the clinical management of patients with pharyngitis/tonsillitis
- List possible complications of pharyngitis/tonsillitis
- Describe the etiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of oral thrush
- Outline the clinical features and treatment strategies for patients with laryngitis
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