Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «E»:
-
Ear puncture
Ear puncture: Puncture of the ear drum may be due to an
accident for example when something is stuck into the ear. Or it may be due to fluid
pressure in the middle ear. Today the ear drum is occasionally punctured on purpose with
surgery. A surgically placed tiny incision (a myringotomy) is made in ...
-
Ear ringing
Ear ringing: Together with other abnormal
ear noises, ear ringing is medically called tinnitus.
Tinnitus can
arise in any of the four sections of the ear: the outer ear, the
middle ear, the inner ear, and the brain. It can be due to many causes including ear infection, fluid in the ears, Meniere...
-
Ear tag
Ear tag: Common minor anomaly, a rudimentary tag of ear
tissue, often containing a core cartilage, usually located just in front of the ear
(auricle). Therefore also called preauricular tag. The presence of 2 or more minor
anomalies in a child increases the probability that the child has a major mal...
-
Ear thermometer
Ear thermometer: A thermometer that
registers body temperature via the ear canal.
The ear thermometer was invented in 1964 by Dr. Theodor
H. Benzinger. Dr. Benzinger worked from 1947 to 1970 at the Naval Medical
Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland where he studied temperature regulation
and...
-
Ear tubes
Ear tubes: Formally known as tympanostomy tubes, ear
tubes are small plastic tubes inserted into the eardrum (the tympanum) to keep the middle
ear aerated for a prolonged period of time. To put the tubes in place, a myringotomy (a
surgically placed tiny incision in the eardrum) is done. Any fluid, u...
-
Ear wax
Ear wax: A natural wax-like substance secreted by special glands in the skin on the outer part of the ear canal. It repels water, and traps dust and sand particles. Usually a small amount of wax accumulates, and then dries up and falls out of the ear canal carrying with it unwanted particles. Ear wa...
-
Ear, cauliflower
Ear, cauliflower: An acquired deformity of the external ear to which wrestlers and boxers are particularly vulnerable.
The cause is damage due to trauma. When trauma causes a blood clot
under the skin of the ear, the clot disrupts the connection of the
skin to the ear cartilage. The cartilage h...
-
Ear, external
Ear, external: There are three sections of the
ear. They are the external
ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The external
ear
looks complicated
but it is functionally the simplest part of the ear. It
consists of the
pinna or auricle (the visible
projecting portion of the ear), the externa...
-
Ear, foreign object in
Ear, foreign object in: A foreign object in the external ear canal.
Foreign objects are often placed in the ear by young children or by accident
while trying to clean or scratch the ear. There is often an accompanying
external ear infection.
Removal of an object from the ear can be very difficul...
-
Ear, inner
Ear, inner: There are three sections of the ear.
They are the external ear,
the middle ear, and the inner ear. The inner ear is far and
away the most
highly complex. The essential component of the inner ear
for hearing is the
membranous labyrinth where the fibers of the auditory nerve
(the nerve...
-
Ear, internal
Ear, internal: There are three sections of the
ear. They are the external
ear, the middle ear, and the
internal ear. The internal ear is far and away the most highly complex. The
essential component of the
internal ear for
hearing is the membranous labyrinth where the
fibers of the auditory ner...
-
Ear, low-set
Ear, low-set: A minor anomaly involving an ear situated
down below its normal location. Technically, the ear is low-set when the helix (of the
ear) meets the cranium at a level below that of a horizontal plane through both inner
canthi (the inside corners of the eyes). The presence of 2 or more mino...
-
Ear, malrotated
Ear, malrotated: See Ear, slanted....
-
Ear, middle
Ear, middle: There are three sections of the ear.
They are the external ear, the
middle ear, and the inner ear. The middle ear consists
of the ear drum (the tympanum
or tympanic membrane) and, beyond it, a
cavity. This cavity is
connected via a canal (the Eustachian tube) to the pharynx (the
n...
-
Ear, outer
Ear, outer: There are three sections of the ear.
They are the outer ear, the
middle ear, and the inner ear. The outer ear looks
complicated but it is
functionally the simplest part of the ear. It consists of
the pinna or
auricle (the visible projecting portion of the ear), the
external acoustic ...