Week 1.3 - Assessment of the Ear

Question 1

What information is useful when assessing hearing ability?

Answer 1

• frequency - tonotopic arrangement
• volume - loudness

Question 2

What are 4 types of testing for hearing?

Answer 2

• clinical testing
• tunic fork tests
• audiometry
• objective tests

Question 3

What is clinical testing?

Answer 3

whispering to patient, talking normally, asking them to repeat a number to see general level of hearing loss

Question 4

What is a tunic fork test and the types?

Answer 4

• used to differentiate between conductive hearing loss and senesorineural hearing loss
• weber test and rinne test

Question 5

What is the weber test?

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

What is the Rinne test?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

What are types of audiometry?

Answer 7

different types
- pure tone audiometry
- play audiometry or visual reinforcement audiometry
- tympanometry

Question 8

What is pure tone audiometry?

Answer 8

give headphones to test pitches and frequencies that can be heard in each ear. detrmine threshold of hearing - quietest sound a person can hear.

Question 9

What are types of hearing loss?

Answer 9

• conductive
• sensorineural
• mixed hearing loss

Question 10

What is noise induced hearing loss?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

What is presbycusis?

Answer 11

gradual high tone hearing loss in both ears, due to aging.

Question 12

What is the air-bone gap?

Answer 12

• tells info about if conductive or SNHL loss.
• if sensorineural, headphones wont be different to bone
• if conductive, bone will be louder than headphones

Question 13

What are objective hearing tests?

Answer 13

determine degree of sound loss without response of patient.

Question 14

How do we test hearing in children and very young babies?

Answer 14

play audiometry and visual reinforcement audiometry

Question 15

What is an example of an objective hearing test?

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

What is tympanometry?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

How do you manage hearing loss?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

How does a hearing air work?

Answer 18

has microphone and speaker that amplifies sound. sends signal to ear hook and ear mold.

Question 19

What is an issue with hearing aids and how do we battle this?

Answer 19

if no ear canal, its blocked or infections every time you use hearing aid, try BAHA.

Question 20

What is BAHA?

Answer 20

bone anchored hearing aid. sound radiates through bone to cochlea. for conductive hearing loss, or SNHL but requires 50dB sensorineural or better

Question 21

What option do we give to people with severe SNHL of 90-100dB or more?

Answer 21

stimulate cochlea with cochlea implant - put signal directly into cochlea.