Ear diseases

Structure of the Ear

The human ear is one of the most remarkable parts of the human body, not only because of the beauty and unlikelihood of its structure, but also because of its remarkable sensitivity to sounds. The ear has the receptors for both hearing and equilibrium. From an anatomical point of view, the ear is conventionally and conveniently divided into three parts: the outer, the middle and the inner ears.

The outer ear is called the auricle (or pinna) and is made of cartilage covered by skin. Sound moves through the pinna into the external auditory canal, a short tube that ends at the eardrum (tympanic membrane). Sound causes the eardrum and its tiny attached bones (ossicles) in the middle portion of the ear to vibrate, and the vibrations are conducted to the nearby cochlea. The spiral-shaped cochlea is part of the inner ear; it transforms sound into nerve impulses that travel to the brain. The fluid-filled semicircular canals (labyrinth) attach to the cochlea and nerves in the inner ear. They send information on balance and head position to the brain. The eustachian (auditory) tube drains fluid from the middle ear into the throat (pharynx) behind the nose.

Ear Conditions

Pain in the ear (earache) can have many causes. Some of these are serious, some are not serious.

Hearing Loss

Hearing impairment may result from disease, injury, or developmental problems that affect the ear itself or any nervous pathways concerned with the sense of hearing. Heredity, toxins, exposure to loud noises, and the aging process are possible causes for hearing loss. It may range from inability to hear certain frequencies of sound to a complete loss of hearing (deafness). People with extreme hearing loss that originates in the inner ear may benefit from a cochlear implant. This prosthesis stimulates the cochlear nerve and may allow the recipient to hear medium to loud sounds.

Otitis is any inflammation of the ear. Otitis media refers to an infection that leads to the accumulation of fluid in the middle ear cavity. One cause is malfunction or obstruction of the eustachian tube, such as by allergy, enlarged adenoids, injury, or congenital abnormalities. Another cause is infection that spreads to the middle ear, most commonly from the upper respiratory tract. Continued infection may lead to accumulation of pus and perforation of the eardrum. Otitis media usually affects children under 5 years of age and may result in hearing loss. If untreated, the infection may spread to other regions of the ear and head. Treatment is with antibiotics. A tube also may be placed in the tympanic membrane to ventilate the middle ear cavity, a procedure called a myringotomy.

Otitis externa is inflammation of the external auditory canal. Infections in this region may be caused by a fungus or bacterium and are most common among those living in hot climates and among swimmers, so it is called " swimmer's ear."

Meniere Disease is a disorder that affects the inner ear. It seems to involve the production and circulation of the fluid that fills the inner ear, but the cause is unknown. The symptoms are vertigo (dizziness), hearing loss, pronounced tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and feeling of pressure in the ear. The course of the disease is uneven, and symptoms may become less severe with time. Meniere disease is treated with drugs to control nausea and dizziness, such as those used to treat motion sickness. In severe cases, the inner ear or part of the eighth cranial nerve may be destroyed surgically.

Exercise 5. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the most characteristic feature of the ear?

2. What are the main parts of the ear?

3. What is the role of the outer ear?

4. What processes occur in the middle ear?

5. What diseases of the ear are there?

6. What may cause hearing deafness?

7. What kind of disease is otitis?

8. What are the symptoms of Meniere disease?

Exercise 6. Match the terms with their definitions:

Exercise 7. Translate the word combinations:

Запалення зовнішнього слухового каналу, провітрювати порожнини середнього вуха, процес старіння, контролювати нудоту та запаморочення, вплив гучних звуків, дзвін у вухах, черепно-мозковий нерв, запалення вуха, помітна чутливість до звуків, перетворювати звук в нервові імпульси, барабанна перетинка, збільшені аденоїди, нервові шляхи, слух та рівновага, вушний біль, спиралевидний равлик.

Exercise 8. Choose the terms from the text to match the following definitions:

1. ______________ an instrument for examining the ear.

2. ______________ a sensation of noises, such as ringing or tinkling, in the ear.

3. ______________ an illusion of movement, caused by disturbances in the vestibular apparatus; often used to mean dizziness or lightheadedness.

4. ______________ inflammation of the external auditory canal; swimmer's ear.

5. ______________ a disease associated with increased fluid pressure in the inner ear and characterized by hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus.

6. ______________ inflammation of the middle ear with accumulation of watery (serous) or mucoid fluid.

7. ______________ surgical incision of the tympanic membrane; performed to drain the middle ear cavity or to insert a tube into the tympanic membrane for drainage.

Exercise 9. Complete this description using the words and phrases below:

How the Ear Works

Sounds from the outside world are picked up by the outer ear, which is made up of the … (1) and the ear canal. As the sound waves enter the ear, the … (2) serves to increase the loudness of those pitches that make it easier to understand speech. At the same time the ear canal protects another important part of the ear: the … (3) - a flexible, circular membrane which vibrates when touched by … (4).

The sound vibrations continue their journey into the … (5), which contains three tiny bones called the ossicles, which are also known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup. These bones form the bridge from the eardrum into the … (6). They increase and amplify the sound vibrations even more, before safely transmitting them on to the inner ear via the … (7).

The inner ear, or … (8), resembles the circular shell of a snail, and houses a system of tubes which are filled with a watery fluid. As the sound waves pass through the oval window the fluid begins to move, setting tiny … (9) in motion. In turn, these hairs transform the vibrations into electrical impulses that travel along the … (10) to the brain itself.

Exactly how the brain actually translates these nerve impulses remains a mystery.

Exercise 10. Match each of these symptoms with one or more of the ear conditions a-d below:

Exercise 11. Put the special questions to the underlined words and words combinations:

1. An otoscope is a device to look into the ear canal to see the drum.

2. An audiologist examines a person's hearing in each ear, using sounds of varying volume and frequency.

3. Audiogram has just been made and compared with that of an individual with normal hearing.

4. ACT scanner uses X-rays and a computer to create images of the ears and surrounding structures.

5. Using radio waves in a magnetic field, a scanner creates high-resolution images of the ears and surrounding structures.

6. The ear changes sound into electrical signals, so the brain can interpret it.

7. Otosclerosis mainly affects the tiny stapes bone.

8. People with extreme hearing loss may benefit from a cochlear implant.

Exercise 12. Complete the text using one word in each gap:

Do you ever wish that your neighbours (turned / will turn / had turned) down their music? Perhaps you are trying to sleep and you wish that the people next-door (do / were / will be) not holding an all-night barbecue party in their garden. Or do you feel it is high (time / place / site) you moved to an uninhabited island? Don't worry - you are just another victim of noise pollution. Of course most people would prefer if cars (make / made / will make) no noise at all, neighbours (was / were / are) as quite as mice, and nobody (drive / drove will have drive) about the streets in cars with open windows and high-powered sound systems. You may even wish you (stop / stopped / have stopped) children from playing in the street, or planes from passing overhead. But in the end, if I (was / am / will be) you I (would / will / will have) just get used to it. Close the windows, buy some earplugs, laugh and turn up your own stereo. Just act (as / though / that) if the noise (is / was / will be) simply not there! Who knows, perhaps it will go away.

Завдання для самостійної роботи студентів (СРС)

Test

1. From an anatomical point of view the ear is conveniently divided into … parts.

a) one b) two c) three d) four e) five

2. The outer ear is called … and is made of cartilage covered by skin.

a) the auricle b) the ossicles c) the cochlea d) the pinna e) the eardrum

3. Sound causes the eardrum and its tiny attached bones in the middle portion of the ear to ….

a) move b) decelerate c) freeze d) vibrate e) vacillate

4. The eustachian tube … fluid from the middle ear into the throat.

a) eliminates b) discharges c) excretes d) removes e) drains

5. Otitis media refers to an infection that leads to … in the middle ear cavity.

a) the accumulation of pus b) the accumulation of fluid c) the formation of ulcers d) the formation of lesions e) the accumulation of mucus

6. One cause of otitis media is malfunction or obstruction of...

a) the semicircular canals b) the eustachian tube c) the cochlea d) the auricle e) the inner ear

7. Otitis externa is inflammation of ….

a) the semicircular canals b) the eustachian tube c) the cochlea

d) the inner ear e) the external auditory canal

8. Otitis externa is most common among those living in ….

a) cold climates b) hot climates c) temperate climates d) insanitary zone e) mountainous regions

9. Meniere Disease is a disorder that affects ….

a) the outer ear b) the middle ear c) the inner ear d) the eardrum e) eustachian tube

10. In severe cases, the inner ear or part of the eighth cranial nerve may be ….

a) perforated b) destroyed c) exscinded d) replaced e) cured

Exercise 1. Topic vocabulary:

Exercise 2. Build adjectives from the following words using suffixes:

-ory, -ic, -y, -ous, -ive, -al:

Inflammation, irritation, allergy, cure, itch, blister, poison, environment, scar, pathogen, fat, water, bacteria, silver.

Exercise 3. Read and translate the following word combinations into Ukrainian:

Vesicles filled with transparent fluid or pus; nodules elevated above the skin; skin neoplasms; inflammation of the skin; to result from; to result in; exposure to chemicals; metabolic disorders; to be caused by allergies and irritants; increased body sensitivity; skin diseases and their manifestations; the upper layer of the skin; pus-filled spots; tocause scarring; parasitic insects, bacteria or pathogenic fungi; birthmarks, warts, and tumors; poxvirus; herpes simplex virus; the ability to invade or spread to other parts; human papillomavirus

Exercise 4. Match the following terms with their definitions:

Exercise 5. Read the text and be ready to discuss it: