Hearing Tests 101: Pure Tone Audiometry

When it comes to determining the type, degree, and configuration of hearing loss in patients, pure-tone audiometry is the gold standard. This subjective test helps audiometrists gauge your responses to different sounds and frequencies.

“The mechanics of this test is pretty simple.”

Whenever you hear a tone from your headphones or the sound testing room, you press the button. That signals the audiogram to generate a graph that helps determine your hearing threshold.

In cases when there is an obstruction in the outer or middle ears caused by earwax or fluid, a pure bone test measure is used. In this test, sound bypasses the blockage by vibrating. Vibrations will transmit the signal directly to the inner ear.

To ensure accuracy, the test will be held in an adequate environment. With this, you will be able to pinpoint the quietest sound you can hear at different pitches, or frequencies.

Each ear will be tested individually. The audiologist will be able to determine which ear is responsible for your hearing loss.

There are two types of Pure tone tests:

Threshold hearing tests: This measure determines the subject’s ability to recognize sounds of a certain frequency or volume. With the use of headphones, a patient’s minimum hearing threshold is measured by the last sound they hear.

High-frequency (supraliminal) pure tone tests: These are used to determine whether the subject is experiencing hearing fatigue and whether they have any disturbances or impairments above their threshold of hearing. During the test, three main parameters are taken into consideration: intensity, frequency, and duration.

Additionally, there are different types of audiometers that specialists use to conduct these tests. They all function similarly in terms of changing the intensity and frequency which the audiometer registers in the audiogram.

All types of audiometers work similarly by allowing the audiometrist to change the output intensity and frequency of the signal.

Pure tone tests can detect two types of results: conductive hearing loss or sensorineural hearing loss.

Conductive hearing loss is caused by obstructions or damage to the external ear or middle ear that prevent sound from reaching the inner ear. When you have conductive hearing loss, your inner ear and auditory nerve are not damaged.

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. This occurs when your inner ear loses hearing permanently as a result of damage to your auditory nerve or cilia.

The results of the pure tone hearing test can be used to diagnose, reassure, monitor, or determine the health of the patient’s ear. The changes in hearing, whether it be improvement or deterioration, can be tracked by repeated assessments.

If you are having problems with your hearing, schedule an appointment with Hearing Solutions today. You can visit us at Century Plaza Complex, Juana Osmeña St., Cebu City or our Consolacion branch located at CPG Arcade, North Road, Consolacion.

Hearing Solutions is open to service you on Monday – Saturday from 9 am – 6 pm. To schedule an appointment, call us at 0932 788 1168 or message us on Facebook.