Week 1.3 - Assessment of the Ear Flashcards
What information is useful when assessing hearing ability?
- frequency - tonotopic arrangement
- volume - loudness
What are 4 types of testing for hearing?
- clinical testing
- tunic fork tests
- audiometry
- objective tests
What is clinical testing?
whispering to patient, talking normally, asking them to repeat a number to see general level of hearing loss
What is a tunic fork test and the types?
- used to differentiate between conductive hearing loss and senesorineural hearing loss
- weber test and rinne test
What is the weber test?
- tunic fork vibrated and then put in middle of forehead. ask if they can hear. see which side is louder
- if quieter in 1 ear, sensorineural loss.
- if louder in 1 ear, conductive loss
What is the Rinne test?
vibrates fork and puts in front of patient, then on ear bone.
- if sound is louder in front than at the bone, then hearing is normal OR sensorineural loss
- if sound is louder on bone but cant hear outside well, then there is conductive loss
What are types of audiometry?
different types
- pure tone audiometry
- play audiometry or visual reinforcement audiometry
- tympanometry
What is pure tone audiometry?
give headphones to test pitches and frequencies that can be heard in each ear. detrmine threshold of hearing - quietest sound a person can hear.
What are types of hearing loss?
- conductive
- sensorineural
- mixed hearing loss
What is noise induced hearing loss?
cochlea cilia hair cells damaged at specific points so some frequencies cannot be heard as well - usually 4000Hz.
occurs after long exposure to high dB noice - 85db
What is presbycusis?
gradual high tone hearing loss in both ears, due to aging.
What is the air-bone gap?
- tells info about if conductive or SNHL loss.
- if sensorineural, headphones wont be different to bone
- if conductive, bone will be louder than headphones
What are objective hearing tests?
determine degree of sound loss without response of patient.
How do we test hearing in children and very young babies?
play audiometry and visual reinforcement audiometry
What is an example of an objective hearing test?
example is otoacoustic emissions, given off by inner ear when cochlea is stimulated by sound. it produces a nearly inaudible sound which echoes back into middle ear. detect with small probe in ear canal. hearing loss of over 25/30dB doesn’t produce these sounds.
What is tympanometry?
objective test telling us if middle ear has normal pressure, is aerated well.
- normal ear goes up and down
- flat curve shows fluid in ear
- straight up then flat curve shows negative pressure in ear
How do you manage hearing loss?
depending on whats wrong
- surgery can be for osteosclerosis for stapes, or otovent balloon/grommets for otitis media with efusion
- for sensorineural loss we give sound amplification - hearing aids
How does a hearing air work?
has microphone and speaker that amplifies sound. sends signal to ear hook and ear mold.
What is an issue with hearing aids and how do we battle this?
if no ear canal, its blocked or infections every time you use hearing aid, try BAHA.
What is BAHA?
bone anchored hearing aid. sound radiates through bone to cochlea. for conductive hearing loss, or SNHL but requires 50dB sensorineural or better
What option do we give to people with severe SNHL of 90-100dB or more?
stimulate cochlea with cochlea implant - put signal directly into cochlea.
