Audiology

Alternative names:

audiogram; audiography; audiometry; hearing test

How the test is performed:

General screening may be used to estimate the need for audiography. Specific procedures may vary, but they generally involve occluding one ear at a time and checking for the ability to hear whispers and then spoken words or the sound of a ticking watch. A tuning fork may be used to test your general ability to hear by air conduction and bone conduction. The tuning fork is tapped and held in the air on each side of the head to test the ability to hear by air conduction. It is tapped and placed against the mastoid bone behind each ear to test bone conduction.

Audiography provides a more precise measurement of hearing. Air conduction is tested by having you wear earphones attached to the audiometer. Pure tones of controlled intensity are delivered, usually to one ear at a time. You are asked to indicate (by raising a hand, pressing a button, or other means) when they hear a sound, and the minimum intensity (volume) required to hear each tone is graphed. An attachment is placed against the bone behind each ear to test bone conduction.

How to prepare for the test:

Adults:
There is no special preparation.

Infants and children:
The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child's age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. For specific information regarding how you can prepare your child, see the following topics as they correspond to your child's age:

• infant test or procedure preparation (birth to 1 year)
• toddler test or procedure preparation (1 to 3 years)
• preschooler test or procedure preparation (3 to 6 years)
• schoolage test or procedure preparation (6 to 12 years)
• adolescent test or procedure preparation (12 to 18 years)

How the test will feel:

There is no discomfort. The length of time varies. Screening may take about 5 to 10 minutes; detailed audiography may take about 1 hour.

Why the test is performed:

This may be a screening test to detect a hearing loss at an early stage. It may also be used when there is difficulty in hearing from any cause. Common causes of hearing loss include chronic ear infections, a ruptured eardrum, acoustic trauma, an occupational hearing loss, a head injury, inherited conditions, diseases of the inner ear, and complications of ototoxic medications (medications that can be toxic to the nerve of the inner ear, including certain antibiotics such as neomycin, diuretics such as Lasix, and large doses of salicylates such as aspirin).