The ENT clinical examination, unlike the examinations in most other medical specialties, has the particularity of needing the correct lighting of small cavities that contain even smaller anatomical structures. It is for this reason that the first things a beginner must learn are the way to correctly use the light source in order to obtain proper lighting and how to handle small instruments that will allow him to gather the maximum of clinical information for a correct diagnosis.
The present work wishes to define a new and systematic approach to ENT examination, breaking down each maneuver into small, isolated gestures, each illustrated with a suggestive photo. This approach has been inspired by the author’s experience in practicing medicine in Germany, where the purpose of all instructors is to provide information as concisely and practically as possible. This manual offers fewer theoretical information, which the students could and are encouraged to obtain from multiple sources and concentrates on explaining, in detail, the examination maneuvers, accentuating the correctness of the movements and handling of the instruments.
The manual also introduces an objective grading method for students, which is why in chapter I.4. a grading chart for the practical exam is presented. By using this chart, the student can react to the specific demands of the examiner, for each of the required maneuvers (correct handling of the instruments, positioning the light, finishing the examination within the required timeframe etc.) and the student will be able to know the exact reason in case of point loss. Thus, the grading will follow objective criteria and will no longer be left for the subjective judgment of the professor.
The information regarding the technique of ENT clinical examination are completed by a succinct presentation of the most common paraclinical examinations and their interpretation, information that the student or young doctor should have before formulating a diagnosis. Interpreting one if these examinations will complete the practical exam, as specified in the grading chart from chapter I.4.
The last chapter comprises a systematic presentation of the main ENT emergencies and their correct management.
Meant especially for training the students of the General Medicine Faculty or Dental Medicine Faculty, the present work will prove useful for young residents also, in acquiring the basis of the ENT specialty, bases on which a unified vision on every day practice can be built.
Bucharest, 2020
Horia MOCANU
M.D., PhD., Dr.med., Lecturer
