Audiometry

Best Audiometry Treatment & Diagnostics in Chirag Enclave, Delhi

Overview of Audiometry

Hearing loss or presbycusis occurs gradually with age due to chronic exposure to loud noises or excessive earwax. In many cases, hearing loss is irreversible. Audiometry is a simple procedure to diagnose hearing loss in adults and children by an ENT specialist.

About Audiometry

Humans can hear sound waves of frequency ranging between 20 - 20,000 Hz. The Audiometry test evaluates the intensity and tone of the sound and balancing issues related to the functioning of the inner ear. Pure tone test helps to measure the quietest sound that you can hear at a different pitch. An ENT specialist will perform Audiometry tests on mechanical sound transmission (functioning of the middle ear), neural sound transmission (function of the cochlea), and speech discrimination ability.

Types of audiometry

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

Risk factors associated with the Audiometry test

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

Preparing for Audiometry

An audiometer is an electric device consisting of:

• Pure tone generator
• Bone conduction oscillator
• Attenuator to vary the loudness
• Microphone to test speech
• Earphones

Pure Tone test uses 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. This diagnostic test helps to evaluate 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 pass through the bone to your inner ear.

What to expect from the Audiometry test

During the test 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. If the vibrations don’t pass from your mastoid bone to the inner ear, it indicates a hearing loss.

Possible results of the Audiometry tests

The hearing ability is measured in decibels and 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 amount of hearing loss:

• Mild hearing loss: 26 – 40 decibels
• Moderate hearing loss: 41- 55 decibels
• Moderate - severe hearing loss: 56 - 70 decibels
• Severe hearing loss: 71 - 90 decibels
• Profound hearing loss: 91- 100 decibels

When to see a doctor

You must visit an ENT specialist near you if you have difficulty hearing, particularly in one ear, and do not understand the spoken words. ENT specialists in Delhi help diagnose the intensity of hearing loss and suggest a way to treat it.

Take away

After the Audiometry tests, you might or might not be diagnosed with significant hearing loss, depending upon the volume and tone of sound that you can hear. The ENT specialist in Delhi will suggest preventive measures like earplugs around loud noise or hearing aid to lessen further damage.

If in Delhi, visit Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Chirag Enclave, Delhi

Call 1860 500 2244 to book an appointment 

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