Facts on File Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

esophageal speech A learned method to restore verbal communication for people who have undergone LARYNGECTOMY(surgical removal o ...

F foreign objects in the ear or nose Material that enters the EARor NOSE. This is a common occur- rence with young children, who ...

G gag reflex A rapid and intense contraction of the pharyngeal muscles to expel material before it enters the THROAT. Touching t ...

H hairy tongue The common term for the circum- stance of overgrown filiform papillae on the tongue, a condition known clinically ...

the range of frequency and pitch the ear can detect through amplification and modulation. Hearing aids are most effective in sen ...

ing aids must learn to consciously filter unneces- sary noise and sounds. In natural hearing, the structures of the ear and the ...

ductive hearing loss in adults. Compacted CERUMEN (ear wax) in the auditory canal and OTOSCLEROSIS (fusion of the auditory ossic ...

many of the sounds that provide orientation to one’s personal environment. With accommodation, most people with hearing loss are ...

L labyrinthitis An INFLAMMATIONor INFECTIONof the vestibular system, the body’s balance mechanism within the inner EAR. The sudd ...

in proximity to it. With partial laryngectomy the airway and often part of the vocal structures remain intact, so breathing and ...

M mastoiditis An INFECTION in the mastoid BONE behind the EAR. Mastoiditis typically develops as a consequence of untreated or c ...

episodes (recurrent symptoms) when distinguish- ing Ménière’s disease from other forms of vestibu- lar dysfunction. These are V ...

quency of episodes because it helps prevent the accumulation of fluid throughout the body, includ- ing in the inner ear. The doc ...

N nasal polyp A noncancerous, fleshy growth within the interior NOSE. Polyps are outgrowths of the mucous membrane and extend fr ...

Most hearing experts agree that exposure to sounds louder than 85 dB begins to damage the hair cells in the COCHLEA, which activ ...

enters and leaves the pulmonary system. Air enters the nose through the nostrils, passing beneath the olfactory NERVEendings. Od ...

0 obstructive sleep apnea A disorder in which blockage of the airways takes place during sleep when the structures of the neck a ...

otitisAn INFLAMMATIONof the EAR, typically the middle ear (otitis media) or the outer ear (otitis externa). Otitis can affect th ...

otoplasty Surgery to alter the appearance of the auricle (external EAR). Otoplasty can be cosmetic (to improve appearance) or re ...

42 The Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat OTOTOXIC MEDICATIONS Medications Commonly Prescribed to Treat Ototoxic Effects ANGIOTENSIN-CO ...