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audiometry
Indications:
- hearing disorders
- gold standard for identifying hearing loss
- tinnitus
- otosclerosis
- Meniere's disease
- tympanosclerosis
Procedure:
- the test is conducted by an audiologist using an audioscope
- testing takes about 3 minutes
- pure tone thresholds as heard through headphones (air conduction)*
- pure tone thresholds as heard through the skull (bone conduction)*
- pure tone average is 26 dB
- a test tone of 60 dB is delivered
- sounds at 20, 25, 40 dB
- frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz
- ability to understand words (speech discrimination)
- patients fail if they cannot hear:
a) either 1000 or 2000 Hz at 40 dB (both ears)
b) both 1000 or 2000 Hz (either ear)
* audiogram interpretation of the air conduction/bone conduction ratio differs from the Rinne test such that with sensorineural hearing loss both air conduction & bone conduction are equally depressed at the same point on the audiogram [2]
Related
audioscope
hearing aid; digital hearing aid
hearing loss (hearing impairment, hard of hearing, HOH)
hearing; audition
General
hearing evaluation
References
- Mangione C. In: UCLA Intensive Course in Geriatric Medicine &
Board Review, Marina Del Ray, CA, Sept 12-15, 2001
- Geriatrics Review Syllabus, American Geriatrics Society,
5th edition, 2002-2004
- Geriatric Review Syllabus, 11th edition (GRS11)
Harper GM, Lyons WL, Potter JF (eds)
American Geriatrics Society, 2022