PANCE Blueprint EENT (6%)

EENT PANCE and PANRE Content Blueprint Question Stems Review

The NCCPA™ EENT PANCE and PANRE Content Blueprint high-yield question stem review with flashcards

Eye Disorders

Conjunctivitis
  • Bacterialpurulent (yellow) discharge and crusting, lids matted shut in the morning
  • Viralwatery discharge, preauricular node, recent URI, one eye then the other
  • Allergicbilateral itching, tearing, cobblestone papillae, seasonal
  • Gonococcal → newborn day 2–5 (or sexually active adult) with hyperacute copious pus
  • Chlamydial → newborn day 5–14 with mucopurulent discharge
Subconjunctival hemorrhage Patient will present with → a painless, sharply demarcated bright red patch on the sclera noticed on waking or after coughing, sneezing, or straining, with normal vision and no discharge
Cataract Patient will present with → slowly progressive painless blurred vision over months to years, glare, and halos around lights at night; exam shows lens opacity with a diminished red reflex
Corneal ulcer Patient will present as → a contact lens wearer (slept in lenses) with severe pain, photophobia, and redness; fluorescein shows a round ulcer with a white stromal infiltrate (versus the dendritic pattern of herpes keratitis)
Keratitis (infectious corneal disease)
  • HSV keratitis → unilateral painful red eye with photophobia and a dendritic (branching) ulcer on fluorescein, decreased corneal sensation
  • Herpes zoster ophthalmicus → older patient with a vesicular rash in the V1 distribution and a lesion on the tip of the nose (Hutchinson sign)
  • Bacterial keratitis → contact lens wearer with pain, discharge, and a corneal infiltrate
Pterygium Patient will present as → an outdoor worker with an elevated, fleshy, triangular fibrovascular growth extending from the nasal conjunctiva onto the cornea
Iritis (anterior uveitis) Patient will present as → a young adult with ankylosing spondylitis or inflammatory bowel disease and a painful red eye, photophobia (including consensual), ciliary flush, and a small irregular pupil; slit lamp shows cells and flare
Scleritis Patient will present as → a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and severe, deep, boring eye pain that wakes them at night, with violaceous injection that does not blanch with phenylephrine
Uveitis Patient will present as → a patient with HIV and CD4 < 50 with painless floaters and blurred vision; fundus shows hemorrhages and fluffy white infiltrates ("pizza pie") = CMV retinitis; or a patient with sarcoidosis/Behçet with recurrent painful red eyes
Dacryoadenitis Patient will present with → painful swelling of the outer (superotemporal) upper eyelid producing an S-shaped lid, often with a recent viral illness such as mumps or mono
Dacryocystitis Patient will present with → pain, redness, and swelling at the inner (inferomedial) corner of the eye over the lacrimal sac, tearing, and pus expressed from the punctum with pressure
Dacryostenosis Patient will present as → a 2-month-old with chronic tearing and crusting of one eye since birth, a white, non-injected conjunctiva, and reflux of mucoid material with pressure over the lacrimal sac
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca Patient will present as → a middle-aged woman with gritty, burning, "sand in the eye" sensation worse at the end of the day, plus dry mouth (Sjögren); Schirmer test is abnormal
Blepharitis Patient will present with → eyelid crusting, scaling, and red-rimmed lid margins with lash flaking on waking, dry irritated eyes, and associated seborrhea or rosacea
Chalazion Patient will present with → a painless, firm, non-tender nodule in the eyelid that has been there for weeks (meibomian gland granuloma)
Ectropion Patient will present as → an older adult with tearing and dry, irritated eyes; on exam the lower lid turns outward and the exposed palpebral conjunctiva is red
Entropion Patient will present as → an older adult with foreign body sensation, tearing, and a red eye; on exam the lid turns inward and the lashes rub the cornea
Hordeolum Patient will present with → a painful, warm, swollen red lump at the eyelid margin that developed over a day or two (think "H" for Hot = Hordeolum)
Nystagmus Patient will present with → rhythmic, involuntary, repetitive eye movements; horizontal and fatigable with vertigo = peripheral vestibular; vertical or direction-changing = central (brainstem/cerebellum); an alcoholic with confusion and ataxia = Wernicke
Optic neuritis Patient will present as → a young woman with acute monocular vision loss, pain with eye movement, washed-out color vision, and an afferent pupillary defect (think multiple sclerosis)
Papilledema Patient will present as → an obese young woman with headache, transient visual blackouts, and pulsatile tinnitus; fundoscopy shows bilateral optic disc swelling with blurred margins; vision and pain are otherwise preserved
Orbital cellulitis Patient will present as → a child with recent sinusitis and a swollen red eyelid plus pain with eye movement, limited extraocular motility, proptosis, and fever
Periorbital (preseptal) cellulitis Patient will present as → a child with a swollen, red, warm eyelid after an insect bite or skin break, with full painless extraocular movements, no proptosis, and normal vision
Macular degeneration Patient will present as → an older adult with gradual central vision loss ("I can't read or recognize faces") and wavy lines on the Amsler grid; fundus shows drusen (dry) or hemorrhage/neovascularization (wet). Versus glaucoma = peripheral → central loss
Retinal detachment Patient will present as → a myopic or recently post-cataract-surgery patient with sudden flashes of light and a shower of floaters, then a painless "curtain" coming down over one eye
Retinopathy (diabetic, hypertensive) Patient will present as → a diabetic on routine screening with microaneurysms, dot-blot hemorrhages, hard exudates, and cotton wool spots (neovascularization = proliferative); or a hypertensive with A/V nicking, copper wiring, and flame hemorrhages. Vision is often normal until macular edema develops
Retinal vascular occlusion
  • Central retinal artery occlusion → a patient with atrial fibrillation or carotid disease and sudden, painless, severe monocular vision loss; fundus shows a pale retina with a cherry-red spot
  • Central retinal vein occlusion → a hypertensive or diabetic patient with sudden painless blurring; fundus shows "blood and thunder" — diffuse hemorrhages and dilated tortuous veins
Amaurosis fugax Patient will present as → an older patient with vascular risk factors describing a "curtain coming down" over one eye that lasted a few minutes and fully resolved; a carotid bruit may be heard (retinal TIA)
Amblyopia Patient will present as → a child with reduced visual acuity in one structurally normal eye that does not correct with lenses, usually with strabismus, unequal refractive error, or a congenital cataract on the same side
Glaucoma
  • Open-angle glaucoma → an asymptomatic African American patient over 40 found on routine screening to have elevated IOP and an increased cup-to-disc ratio; peripheral vision loss comes late
  • Acute angle-closure glaucoma → an older, farsighted patient in a dark room (or after an anticholinergic) with sudden severe eye pain, headache, nausea/vomiting, halos around lights, a red eye with a steamy cornea, and a fixed mid-dilated pupil
Presbyopia Patient will present as → a 45-year-old holding the menu at arm's length to read it, with otherwise normal distance vision
Strabismus Patient will present as → a child with a "drifting" or crossed eye, an asymmetric corneal light reflex, and movement of the eye on the cover/uncover testesotropia in-turning, exotropia out-turning

Ear Disorders

Cerumen impaction Patient will present as → an older adult or hearing-aid user with gradual unilateral hearing loss, fullness, and tinnitus after using cotton swabs; otoscopy shows the canal occluded by wax
Otitis externa (acute, malignant)
  • Acute → a swimmer with ear pain and itching; the canal is erythematous and edematous with purulent debris, the TM cannot be visualized, and palpation of the tragus is painful
  • Malignant (necrotizing) → an elderly diabetic with severe ear pain out of proportion, foul otorrhea, and granulation tissue on the canal floor; may have facial nerve palsy
Acoustic neuroma Patient will present with → slowly progressive unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, with disequilibrium and sometimes facial numbness; bilateral in neurofibromatosis type 2
Dysfunction of eustachian tube Patient will present with → ear fullness, popping, an "underwater" feeling, intermittent sharp pain, and fluctuating hearing after a URI or flight; the TM is retracted
Labyrinthitis Patient will present with → sudden, continuous vertigo lasting days, with hearing loss (± tinnitus) after a viral URI and no focal neurologic deficits (vestibular neuritis = the same picture without hearing loss)
Vertigo Patient will present with → a sensation that the room is spinning; BPPV = brief episodes provoked by rolling over in bed with a positive Dix-Hallpike; central = vertical nystagmus, inability to walk, or other neurologic deficits
Cholesteatoma Patient will present with → chronic painless, foul-smelling otorrhea and progressive conductive hearing loss after years of ear infections; otoscopy shows a pearly white mass or retraction pocket in the attic
Acute/chronic otitis media Patient will present as → a toddler with fever, otalgia, and ear tugging a week after a cold; otoscopy shows a bulging, erythematous TM with decreased mobility on pneumatic otoscopy (OME = effusion with a dull, retracted TM and no fever or pain)
Otosclerosis Patient will present as → a woman in her 20s–30s with progressive bilateral conductive hearing loss, a family history of early hearing loss, worsening during pregnancy, and a normal TM
Tympanic membrane perforation Patient will present with → sudden ear pain, otorrhea, and hearing loss — either abrupt relief of pain with drainage during otitis media, or after a slap to the ear, cotton swab, or diving; a defect is visible on otoscopy
Hearing impairment (conductive, sensorineural)
  • Conductive → hearing loss with Weber lateralizing to the affected ear and Rinne bone > air; cerumen, effusion, perforation, otosclerosis
  • SensorineuralWeber lateralizes to the good ear, Rinne air > bone; an older adult who can't hear in a crowded restaurant (presbycusis), noise exposure, ototoxic drugs
  • Sudden sensorineural loss → hearing lost over hours to 3 days in one ear with a normal exam — emergency
Mastoiditis Patient will present as → a child 1–2 weeks into an otitis media with fever, otalgia, pain, erythema, and swelling behind the ear, and forward, downward displacement of the auricle
Meniere disease Patient will present with → recurrent episodes of vertigo lasting 20 minutes to hours, with fluctuating low-frequency hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness in one ear
Tinnitus Patient will present with → a ringing, hissing, buzzing, or whooshing sound with no external source, often with hearing loss, noise exposure, or a new drug (aspirin, aminoglycoside, loop diuretic); pulsatile or unilateral tinnitus is the red flag

Foreign Bodies of the Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat

Foreign body in ear Patient will present as → a child with ear pain, decreased hearing, or drainage and a visible object in the canal; or an adult who woke with buzzing and pain from a live insect in the ear
Foreign body in eye Patient will present as → a worker who was grinding or hammering metal without eye protection and now has foreign body sensation, tearing, and a red painful eye; a rust ring may be seen. Seidel sign or a peaked pupil = intraocular FB/globe rupture
Foreign body in nose Patient will present as → a 4-year-old with three days of unilateral purulent, foul-smelling nasal discharge

Trauma of the Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat

Barotrauma of the ear Patient will present as → a scuba diver or airline passenger with a URI who developed sudden ear pain and fullness on descent that may have resolved with a "pop"; TM is retracted or shows hemotympanum
Blowout fracture Patient will present as → a patient struck in the eye by a fist or baseball with eyelid swelling, double vision on upward gaze, a sunken eye (enophthalmos), and numbness of the cheek and upper lip (infraorbital nerve)
Corneal abrasion Patient will present with → a history of minor trauma (fingernail, branch, contact lens) followed by sudden eye pain, photophobia, tearing, and foreign body sensation; fluorescein shows a linear or irregular uptake defect
Globe rupture Patient will present as → a patient with penetrating eye trauma or a severe blow and marked vision loss, a teardrop-shaped (peaked) pupil, 360° subconjunctival hemorrhage, a shallow anterior chamber, and a positive Seidel sign
Hyphema Patient will present as → a patient hit in the eye with a ball with blurry vision, pain, and a visible layer of blood in the anterior chamber; pupils may be unequal

Nose/Sinus Disorders

Epistaxis Patient will present with → anterior: a child or dry-air nose-picker with bleeding from one nostril that stops with pressure (Kiesselbach plexus); posterior: an older hypertensive or anticoagulated adult with brisk bleeding from both nostrils and blood running down the throat
Nasal polyps Patient will present as → a patient with asthma and aspirin sensitivity (Samter triad) with nasal obstruction and loss of smell; exam shows pale, gray, teardrop-shaped masses in the nose. A child with polyps → cystic fibrosis
Rhinitis
  • Allergic → seasonal sneezing, clear rhinorrhea, itchy eyes, pale boggy turbinates, allergic shiners, and a transverse nasal crease (allergic salute)
  • Vasomotor → rhinorrhea and congestion triggered by cold air, odors, or eating, with negative allergy testing
  • Rhinitis medicamentosarebound congestion after weeks of oxymetazoline use
Sinusitis Patient will present with → facial pain/pressure worse with bending forward, purulent nasal discharge, and congestion — either > 10 days without improvement or improving then worsening ("double sickening"); chronic = > 12 weeks

Oropharyngeal Disorders

Angioedema Patient will present as → a patient recently started on an ACE inhibitor (or with a family history of similar attacks) with painless, non-pitting swelling of the lips, tongue, or face without urticaria that does not respond to antihistamines
Aphthous ulcers Patient will present as → a 22-year-old with a painful sore for 2 days, no tobacco or alcohol, otherwise well; exam shows a 2-mm round ulcer with a yellow-gray center and red halo on the buccal mucosa (versus HSV: grouped vesicles on the lip after a tingling prodrome)
Oral candidiasis Patient will present as → an infant, an inhaled-steroid user, or an adult with undiagnosed HIV/diabetes with white plaques on the oral mucosa that scrape off, leaving a red base that may bleed
Deep neck infection
  • Retropharyngeal abscess → a child under 5 with fever, drooling, neck stiffness and refusal to extend the neck, and a muffled voice after a URI
  • Ludwig angina → an adult with a recent dental infection, bilateral "woody" submandibular swelling, an elevated tongue, drooling, and difficulty breathing
Dental abscess Patient will present with → severe, throbbing tooth pain, sensitivity to percussion, and a fluctuant swelling at the gum line, sometimes with unilateral facial swelling and fever
Dental caries Patient will present as → a toddler who goes to bed with a bottle, or an adult with a high-sugar diet, with tooth pain triggered by sweets, cold, or heat and brown-black pits or white chalky spots on the teeth
Epiglottitis Patient will present as → an unvaccinated child (or an adult) with rapid onset of high fever, drooling, dysphagia, and distress — sitting in the tripod position with a muffled "hot potato" voice and inspiratory stridor
Gingivitis Patient will present with → red, swollen gums that bleed with brushing; on phenytoin, a calcium channel blocker, or cyclosporine = gingival hyperplasia; a stressed young adult with painful, "punched-out" bleeding papillae and foul breath = necrotizing gingivitis (Vincent angina)
Laryngitis Patient will present with → hoarseness or loss of voice after a URI; a smoker or drinker with hoarseness lasting more than 2–3 weeks is the cancer stem
Peritonsillar abscess Patient will present as → a teenager or young adult with worsening sore throat, fever, "hot potato" muffled voice, trismus, drooling, referred ear pain, and a unilateral tonsillar bulge with the uvula deviated to the opposite side
Pharyngitis
  • Strep → a school-age child with fever, sore throat, tender anterior cervical nodes, tonsillar exudates, and no cough (Centor criteria)
  • Mononucleosis → a teenager with fatigue, posterior cervical lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and a rash after amoxicillin
  • Gonococcal → sexually active patient with a sore throat that fails to resolve
Parotitis Patient will present as → an unvaccinated child with bilateral parotid swelling and pain with eating (mumps); or a dehydrated elderly or postoperative patient with a unilateral, tender, warm parotid and pus from Stensen's duct (bacterial)
Sialadenitis Patient will present with → postprandial pain and swelling of the submandibular gland, sometimes with a palpable stone in the floor of the mouth and pus from the duct
Leukoplakia Patient will present as → a smoker or smokeless-tobacco user with a painless white plaque on the buccal mucosa or tongue that cannot be scraped off; an HIV patient with a corrugated white lesion on the lateral tongue = oral hairy leukoplakia (EBV)
Temporomandibular disorders Patient will present as → a young woman who grinds her teeth with jaw pain worse with chewing, clicking or popping, limited mouth opening, headaches, and ear pain with a normal ear exam
Benign and malignant neoplasms Patient will present with → a unilateral, painless, persistent lesion or neck mass: a non-healing oral ulcer or red patch in a smoker/drinker, a tonsillar mass in a middle-aged nonsmoker (HPV), a midline neck mass that rises with tongue protrusion (thyroglossal duct cyst), or a lateral neck cyst anterior to the sternocleidomastoid that swells after a URI (branchial cleft cyst)
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