Audiometry

Best Audiometry Procedure in Alwarpet, Chennai

Hearing loss or presbycusis occurs gradually with age due to chronic exposure to loud noises or excessive earwax. Hearing loss cannot be reversed in many cases. Audiometry is a simple procedure to diagnose hearing loss in adults and children by an ENT specialist near you.

What do we need to know about audiometry?

Humans can hear sound waves with the frequency ranging between 20 and 20,000 Hz. Audiometry tests the intensity and tone of the sound, balancing problems and other issues related to the functioning of the inner ear. Pure tone test helps measure the quietest sound that you can hear at a different pitch. Audiometry tests mechanical sound transmission (functioning of the middle ear), neural sound transmission (functioning of the cochlea) and speech discrimination ability. 

What are the types of audiometry?

1. Pure-tone audiometry – It is done to check your hearing threshold or capacity for using the sound of the same tone but at different frequencies.
2. Speech audiometry – It checks the working of the entire auditory system with the help of a speech discrimination test and speech reception threshold test.
3. Suprathreshold audiometry – This helps check whether a listener can recognize speech or not and determines the improvement witnessed in people using hearing aids.
4. Self-recording audiometry - In this test, a motor can automatically change the intensity and frequency of sound with the help of an attenuator.
5. Impedance audiometry – This measures the reflexes of the middle ear along with the mobility and air pressure in it.
6. Subjective audiometry – A listener has to respond after hearing a sound and responses are recorded.

What are the risk factors?

Audiometry is a non-invasive test, hence it has no side effects or risks associated with it.

How do you prepare for audiometry?

An audiometer is an electric device consisting of:

1. Pure tone generator 
2. Bone conduction oscillator
3. Attenuator to vary the loudness
4. Microphone to test speech
5. Earphones

Pure tone test is performed using an audiometer that is a machine that produces sound via headphones. The audiologist will play the sound of varying tones and speech at different time intervals in one ear at a time. It is done to check the range of your hearing. In another test, you need to repeat the words you heard in the sound sample. In the third test, the audiologist will put a tuning fork or bone oscillator against the bone behind your ear (mastoid bone), to determine how well the vibrations are passing through the bone to your inner ear.

What can you expect from audiometry?

If you can hear the sound played in the pure tone test, you must raise your hand. In the second test, if you can speak the correct words from the sample, you are not suffering from hearing loss. In the third test, if the vibrations don’t pass from your mastoid bone to the inner ear, then it is an indication of hearing loss.

What are the possible results of audiometry?

The hearing ability is measured in decibels and is represented on an audiogram. People usually speak at 60 decibels and shout at 8 decibels. If you cannot hear the sound with the following intensity, then it indicates the severity of hearing loss:

1. Mild hearing loss: 26 - 40 decibels
2. Moderate hearing loss: 41 - 55 decibels
3. Moderate - severe hearing loss: 56 - 70 decibels
4. Severe hearing loss: 71 - 90 decibels
5. Profound hearing loss: 91 - 100 decibels

When do you need to see a doctor?

If you are facing difficulty in hearing, particularly in one ear, and cannot understand the spoken words, then you must visit an ENT specialist near you. ENT specialists help diagnose the intensity of hearing loss and suggest a way to treat it.

Request an appointment at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Alwarpet,Chennai.

Call 1860 500 2244 to book an appointment.

Conclusion

After audiometry, you might or might not be diagnosed with significant hearing loss, depending upon the volume and tone of sound that you can hear. An ENT specialist near you will suggest preventive measures like earplugs for loud noise or hearing aid to lessen further damage.

Source

https://www.healthline.com/health/audiology#purpose
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK239/
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Types-of-Audiometers-and-Their-Applications.aspx
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hearing-tests-for-adults