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• Otolaryngology - ENT
  • Common ENT Terms
  • Ear Related Terms
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  • Rhinoplasty Terms
  • Throat Conditions
  • Sample Reports - Otolaryngology - ENT

• Common ENT Terms

- C -

• Captioning

A text display of spoken words, presented on a television or a movie screen that allows a deaf or hard-of-hearing viewer to follow the dialogue and the action of a program simultaneously.



• Central Auditory Processing Disorder

An inability to differentiate, recognize or understand sounds; hearing and intelligence are normal.



• Central Auditory Processing Disorder

Inability of individuals with normal hearing and intelligence to differentiate, recognize, or understand sounds.



• Cerebrovascular Accident

Lack of blood to the brain, resulting in the sudden loss of speech, language, or the ability to move a body part and, if severe enough, death. Also known as stroke.



• Cerumen

Earwax.



• Chemosensory disorders

Diseases or problems associated with the sense of smell or the sense of taste.



• Choanal atresia

A birth defect in which there is no opening in the back of the nose to connect it to the breathing tube. Babies with this problem are unable to breathe through their noses.



• Cholesteatoma

Accumulation of dead cells in the middle ear caused by repeated middle ear infections.



• Cilia

Small hairs that move mucous in the nose, sinus and windpipe.



• Cleft Palate

A birth defect resulting in opening in the roof of the mouth that may or may not involve the upper lip and/or nose.



• Cochlea

A snail-shaped structure in the inner ear, which is the essential organ of hearing. This tube is filled with tiny hair cells, which help transmit sound into the brain.



• Cochlear Implants

An electronic device that restores partial hearing to the deaf. It is surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a device worn outside the ear. It bypasses damaged structures in the inner ear and directly stimulates the auditory nerve, allowing some deaf individuals to learn to hear and interpret sounds and speech.



• Cognition

Thinking skills that include perception, memory, awareness, reasoning, judgment, intellect, and imagination.



• Conductive Hearing Impairment

Hearing loss caused by dysfunction of the outer or middle ear.



• Conductive Hearing Loss

any hearing loss caused by damage or disease in the outer or middle ears



• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

A device that fits on the face and delivers air under pressure in order to keep the airway open, usually worn at bed time by individuals with obstructive sleep apnea. More



• CPAP

Continuous positive airway pressure.



• Cued Speech

A method of communication that combines speech reading with a system of hand shapes placed near the mouth to help deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals differentiate words that look similar on the lips (e.g., bunch vs. punch) or are hidden (e.g., gag).



• Culture

Growth of microorganisms or viruses for identification purposes.



• CVA

Cerebrovascular accident



• Cyst

A lump filled with either fluid or soft material, occurring in any organ or tissue; may occur for a number of reasons but is usually harmless unless its presence disrupts organ or tissue function.



• Cytomegalovirus (Congenital)

One group of herpes viruses that infects humans and can cause a variety of clinical symptoms, including deafness or hearing impairment; infection with the virus may be either before or after birth.