Audiology and Hearing Disorders Flashcards
True or False
The ossicular chain transmits sound efficiently and with no distortion. It also amplifies incoming sound by 30 dB before transmitting it into the fludis of the inner ear.
true
Whisper is at about what intensity?
45 dB SPL
What are the two major structures of the inner ear?
- vestibular system
- cochlea
- sudden onset due to infection
- quick buildup of fluid and pus causes moderate to severe pain
- child has a fever and may experience vertigo
- buildup of pressure in the ME may rupture the TM, giving instant relief as pus is discharged from the ruptured membrane
- treated with medical and surgical procedures
acute otitis media
two-syllable words with equal stress on each syllable
spondee words
Hearing can be defined in terms of: (5)
- degree
- configuration
- type of loss
- time since onset
- word recognition ability
what is the name of the branch of physics that involves the study of sound as a physical event.
Acoustics
How does the human ear perceive sound? (2)
- pitch/frequency
- loudness/intensity
on an audiogram: blue square
left ear air conduction masked
An infant with a left palate will most likely have hearing problems because of…
eustachin tube dysfunction
HL
hearing level
- a condition that causes fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss usually in adults
- attributed to excessive endolymphatic fluid pressure in the membranous labyrinth which causes Reissner’s membrane to become distended
- symptoms include hearing loss, spels of dizziness or vertigo, a sense of fullness in the ear, and tinnitus
- currently no cure
Meniere’s disease
- a hearing aid feature which controls the maximum output of a hearing aid
- has the ability to package sounds into a certain range that is both audible and comfortable for the patient
- input and output
compression
On an audiogram: ] blue
left ear bone conduction-masked
the study of hearing disorders, and the measurement and management to those disorders. Audiologists identify, evaluate, and rehabilitate people with hearing losses due to peripheral or central auditory impairments.
Audiology
- permanent damage to middle ear structures
- frequently due to erosion of ossicles, cholosteotoma, or atrophy or perforation of the tympanic membrane
chronic otitis media
vibration pattern that repeats itself at regular intervals
periodic vibrations
SPL
sound pressure level
What two muscles in the middle ear dampen the vibrations of the tympanic membrane and the ossicular chain?
- the tensor tympani
- the stapedius muscle
on an audiogram: > blue
left ear bone conduction
- one of the major structures of the inner ear
- snail-shaped and resembles a coiled tunnel
- measures about 3.8 cm when stretched
- filled with endolymph
cochlea
acquired birth to 5
pre-lingually deaf
hearing aid style
- pros
- smaller
- still can fit directional microphones (maybe)
- fits mild to moderately-severe HL
- Cons
- can’t fit severe hearing loss
- more dexterity needed due to smaller size
- battery size decrease
- phone use- T-coil typically available
- exposed to the ear canal environment
- occlusion
- repairs require whole unit (no loaner option)
In the canal (ITC)
- 2nd bone in the ossicular chain
- latin for anvil
- connected to the malleus in a tight joint that permits very little movement
Incus
slight hearing loss in children
16-25 dB
2 parts of the outer ear
- auricle/pinna
- external auditory meatus
cyles per second
hertz
Normal conversational speech is at about what intensity level?
65 dB SPL
The human ear is capable of responding to frequencies in what range?
20 Hz to 20,000 Hz
vowels are low or high frequencies?
low frequencies
- the most complex of the three divisions of the ear
- begins with the oval window
- housed in the temporal bone
- receives the mechanical vibrations of sound through the movement of the footplate of the stapes in the oval window
- a system of interconnecting labyrinths filled with perilymph
Inner ear
- middle ear is inflamed and filled with watery or thick fluid
- ET is bleocked and thus does not allow fresh air to ventilate the middle ear
- middle ear becomes air ticht and soon the air inside is thinned out and the pressure is reduced
- increased air pressure outside the ear begins to push the tympanic membrane inward, reducing it’s mobility
- it vibrates inefficiently, resulting in conductive HL
serous otitis media
basic components of a hearing aid
- microphone
- amplifier
- receiver (speaker)
- battery (or some power source)
Parts of a cochlear implant (7)
- the speech processor
- microphone
- volume control
- program switch
- telecoil
- battery cells
- magnets
vibration patern that occurs at irregular intervals
aperiodic vibrations
AS
Left
Humans perceive intensities ranging from…
0-130 dB SPL
_________________ hearing losses reflect malfunctions of the inner ear.
sensorineural
may have difficulty understanding even amplified speech
profound hearing loss
- 3rd bone in the ossicular chain
- Latin for stirrup
- footplate, or other end is inserted into the oval window (which leads to the inner ear)
Stapes
hearing losses due to disrupted sound transmission between the brainstem and the cerebrum as a result of damage or malformation
central auditory disorders
- dental appliance (bone conduction)
- single sided deafness or conductive HL
sound bite
the extent of displacement of the molecules in their to- and- from motion.
amplitude
speech reception thresholds (SRTs) are:
the lowest level of hearing at which a person can understand 50% of the words presented
Systems required to maintain balance (3)
- visual (orientation)
- somatosensory (body position)
- vestibular (gravity and intertia)
on an audiogram: [ red
bone conduction- masked
consonants are low or high frequences?
high frequencies
How is frequency measured?
Hertz
a disease that causes the stapes to become too soft to vibrate
otospongiosis
About how long is the external auditory meatus on average?
about 2.5 cm or 1 in
a procedure in which acoustic immitance is measured with an electroacoustic instrument called an impedance bridge or impedance meter
tympanomatry
- used in addition to antibiotics to treat serous otitis media
- inserted through the tympanic membrane, ventilating the middle ear and restoring hearing
pressure equalizing (PE) tubes
a person gets older and loses ability to understand words
phonemic regression
the degree and pattern of hearing loss across frequencies as illustrated on the audiogram
- flat
- sloping
- precipitous
configuration
Which cranial nerve sends sound impulses to the brain?
VIII vestibulocochlear
What tool is used to examine the ear canal?
otoscope
a transfer of acoustic energy
acoustic immitance
What nerve innervates the stapedius muscle?
CN VII (the facial nerve)
- use mechanical energy to stimulate the structures of the inner ear
- an alternative to hearing aids
- canidates
- mild to severe sensorineural, conductive, and/or mixed HL
- cannot tolerate foreign bodies in the ear canal for medical reasons
- require free ear canal for personal or professional reasons
middle ear implants
difficulty will occur for soft speech and listening in background noise; however this is managemable in quiet
mild hearing loss
AD
Right
moderately severe hearing loss
56 to 70 dB
two or more sounds of differing frequencies create what?
a complex tone
Parts of a bone conduction hearing aid (3)
- titanium implant
- external abutment
- sound processor
acquired 5 to school years
post lingually deaf
The eustachian tube connects the __________________ to the _______________.
The eustachian tube connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx.
- developed for those deafened by neurofibromatosis (bilateral VIII CN tumors)
- placed on the cochelar nucleus in th ebrainstem-often at the time of tumor removal
- patients with this can detect and discriminate sounds based on their temporal and amplitude properties
- supplements lip reading
Auditory Brainstem Implants
- floor of the cochlear duct
- contains the organ of corti
basilar membrane
What is the smallest muscle in the body?
stapedius
True or false, Vowels have more energy than consonants
true
Hearing aid style
- pros
- smallest custom instrument
- fits mile to moderate HL well
- good with phone (no t-coil needed)
- best microphone placement (no wind, noise, or pinna effect)
- occlusion can be reduced (must be deep fitting)
- cons
- can’t fit severe HL
- features are limited
- more dexterity needed
- battery size decrease
- exposed to ear canal environment
- repairs require whole unit (no loaner option)
completely in the canal (CIC)
What nerve innervates the tensor tympani?
CN V (trigeminal)
- have damage to the nerve fibers along the ascending auditory pathway from the internal auditory meatus to the cortex
- usually caused by acoustic neuromas
- unilateral high frequency hearing loss accompanied by tinnitus and dizziness
- may experience alterations in facial sensation
- trouble with balance
- subtle symptoms, challenging to diagnose
- confused with Meniere’s Disease
Retrochochlear Disorders
______________ hearing losses reflect both conductive and sensorineural components.
Mixed
moderate hearing loss
41-55 dB
- one of the major inner ear structures
- contains three semicircular canals
- related to movement, balance, and body posture
Vestibular system
- style of hearing aid
- about 50-65% of hearing aids on the market today
- Pros
- largest variety of power available
- separate the microphone from the receiver to decrease feedback
- separate the mechanics of the instrument from the ear canal environment to decrease breakdown
- ear molds can be remade for little cost and can be washed
- can fit on demand
- room available for added features
- Cons
- exposed to external environment
- large
- microphone is external (wind, nosie, reduced pinna effect)
- dexterity
- earmold maintenance
Behind the ear (BTE)
on an audiogram: red triangle
right ear air conduction masked
words that look the same on the lips (i.e. man and ban)
homophenous pairs
external otitis
swimmer’s ear
Normal hearing in adults
-10-25 dB
acquired after education completed
deafened
difficulty hearing conversations especially while in background noise. the TV or radio may be turned to higher levels also in order to hear more clearly
moderate hearing loss
Normal hearing in children
-10 to 15 dB
- elastic, thin, and cone shaped
- flexible and tough and vibrates in response to sound pressure
- all of it responds to low-frequency sounds, but only certain parts respond to high-frequency sounds
- easy to damage, can be ruptured with a q-tip, hairpin, or other object inserted into the ear
- explosions and sudden pressure changes can also rupture this
- may heal spontaneously, but repeated ruptures causes scar tissue which reduces mobility
Tympanic membrane
measures how well a person understands speech and discriminates between speech sounds
speech audiometry
on an audiogram: X blue
left ear air conduction
- the first and largest bone in the ossicular chain
- resembles a hammer
- one end is embedded in the tympanic membrane
malleus
graphs that display the results of air- and bone- conduction tests
audiograms
an infection of the middle ear that is often associated with upper-respiratory infections and eustachian tube dysfunction
otitis media
an electronic instrument that generates and amplifies pure tones, noise, and other stimuli for testing hearing
audiometer
on an audiogram: red circle
right ear air conduction
on an audiogram: < red
right ear bone conduction
otaglia
ear pain
- 1 dead ear, 1 normal ear
- sends signal from dead side to good side (was corded, now bue tooth)
contralateral routing of the signal (CROS)
AU
both
clarity of speech is significantly reduced and the most difficulty will occur in groups
moderately severe hearing loss
At what frequenceies are the tones generated by an audiometer?
125, 250, 500, 750, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz
mild hearing loss
26-40 dB
An average shout is at about what intensity level?
85 dB SPL
- Long term daily wear hearing aid
- medically placed in the EAC
- mild to moderately severe HL
- 12- days replacement
Lyric
What connects the middle ear with the nasopharynx?
eustachian tube
The three basic parts of the ear
- outer ear
- middle ear
- inner ear
the lowest level of hearing at which the person can understand 50% of the words presented
speech reception threshold
normal conversation not audible, loud speech difficult to understand, only hear if shouting or amplified
severe hearing loss
A sensorineural hearing loss is related to damage in which area?
hair cells of the cochlea
the number of times a cycle of vibration repeats itself within a second
frequency
profound hearing loss
91+ dB
severe hearing loss
71-90 dB
How is intensity measured?
decibels
a hearing impairment in older people due to the effect of aging and is associated with sensorineural hearing loss
- affects the high frequencies, especially resulting in a sloping high-frequency hearing loss
- patients often have difficulty with recognition of speech, especially under challenging listening conditions such as noisy parties
presbycusis
a tone of a single frequency
pure tone
What is the name of the reflex that stiffens the middle ear system, especially the tympanic membrane, especially when a person hears very loud noises that could damage the ears?
acoustic reflex
hear aid style
- Pros
- smaller than BTE
- variety of gain options (can fit mild to severe)
- one part (less dexterity needed)
- large enough for added features
- phone use (t-coil)
- microphone placement better than BTE
- common, acceptable
- Cons
- not small enough
- exposed to the ear canal environment
- repairs require whole unit (no loaner available)
In the ear (ITE)
When the outer or middle ear malfunctions, a person may manifest a ______________ hearing loss.
conductive
a tone of a single frequency that repeats itself
simple harmonic motion
Hearing aid style
- Pros
- smaller than traditional BETE
- fits mild to moderately severe HL
- fits high frequency hearing loss very well
- more comfortable
- reduced occlusion (open ear canal)
- can be stocked for instant fit
- room for features
- can be repaired in house
- Cons
- need good dexterity
- exposed to external environments
- microphone external
- only available in standard sizes
Open fit (mini) BTE
True or False
Hearing loss sometimes co-occurs with low birth weight but not high birth weight
true
a global term referring to hearing loss associated with the aging process. It is characterized by a sensorineural hearing loss in the higher frequencies and decreased word recognition
Presbycusis
abnormal growth of bone in the middle ear, and results in conductive rather than sensorineural hearing loss
otosclerosis
a tumor-like mass of squamous epithelium in the middle ear cavity that may also invade the mastoid; it is often associated with chronic otitis media or tympanic membrane perforation
cholesteatoma
a communication system in which phonemically based hand configurations and placements are used to supplement speech reading. Eight hand shapes are used to distinguish consonants and six locations on the face and neck are used to distinguish vowels
Cued speech
