- antihistamine
- medication that relieves allergy symptoms, including stuffy nose and watery eyes
- barotrauma
- trauma that occurs when the air pressure in the middle ear does not equalize with ambient pressure
- benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
- a condition of the inner ear where otoliths migrate into the inner ear fluid, causing a false sense of spinning
- cerumenolytic
- a medication that softens and loosens ear wax to ease removal
- cochlear nerve
- one of two bifurcated nerves branching from the vestibulocochlear nerve; it transmits signals from the cochlea to the temporal lobe in the brain so sound can be heard
- decongestant
- a medication that shrinks swollen blood vessels and tissues in the nose to reduce nasal congestion and aid in relieving ear congestion
- eardrum
- a thin flap that separates the external or outer ear and middle ear; it vibrates to sound, which initiates an intricate relay throughout the ear structures traversing from the bones of the middle ear to the inner ear’s cochlea where hearing occurs; also known as the tympanic membrane
- Eustachian tube
- connects the middle ear to the nasal-sinus cavity
- external auditory canal
- path from the external ear to the middle ear
- incus
- one of three small bones in the middle ear; it transmits vibrations from the malleus to the stapes
- malleus
- one of three small bones in the middle ear; it is located closest to the tympanic membrane and transmits auditory oscillations to the incus
- Ménière’s disease
- occurs when fluid accumulates in the inner ear, which can be triggered by allergies, head injury, migraine headache; or viral infection; characterized by vertigo and hearing loss
- ossicles
- three small bones in the middle ear, consisting of the malleus, incus, and stapes, that transmit oscillatory vibrations from one small bone to another; the stapes sends sound to the inner ear in a highly coordinated relay system
- otitis externa
- inflammation and/or infection of the external ear canal characterized by itchiness, pain, and a red ear canal
- otitis media
- an inflammation or infection of the middle ear; also known as swimmer’s ear
- otolith
- a calcium carbonate crystal that normally resides in the base of the semicircular canal that can dislodge into the semicircular canal fluid and lead to bouts of vertigo
- stapes
- one of three small bones in the middle ear; it moves fluid into the cochlea in the inner ear
- tinnitus
- an ear disorder characterized by ringing or other annoying sounds in the ear
- tympanic cavity
- an air-filled compartment separated from the external ear by the tympanic membrane; it communicates with the pharynx via the Eustachian tube
- vestibular nerve
- one of two bifurcated nerves branching from the vestibulocochlear nerve; it controls motion and position
- vestibulocochlear nerve
- the eighth cranial nerve, which transmits sound from the inner ear to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe of the brain.