Audiology

Question 1

How might ear infections negative affect learning in children?

Answer 1

Spoken language acquisition
The use of grammar and syntax
Development of vocabulary and langauge concepts
Auditory memory and percpetion skills
Social maturation

Question 2

What is the overall impact of hearing loss in an individual’s health?

Answer 2

Progressive physical, psychosocial, and cognitive decline

Question 3

What is early detection hearing intervention (EDHI)?

Answer 3

Screening every baby born for hearing impairments. Goal is to minimize the lifetime cost for severe to profound hearing loss.

Question 4

The lifetime cost for severe to profound hearing loss is [smaller/greater] in younger populations than older populations.

Answer 4

Greater. They have to live with the loss for the rest of their lives, and they suffer more consequences due to the loss being present throughout their development.

Question 5

What are ENTs?

Answer 5

Ear, nose, and throat physicians

Question 6

What are the two pathways of hearing?

Answer 6

Air conduction

Bone conduction

Question 7

What are the two audiological divisions/mechanisms?

Answer 7

Conductive mechanism

Sensorineural mechanism

Question 8

What are the 4 anatomical divisions?

Answer 8

Outer ear
Middle ear
Inner ear
Auditory nerve

Question 9

How do bone conduction hearing aids work?

Answer 9

Bypass the outer and middle ear and directly stimulate the inner ear

Question 10

What is the function of the outer ear?

Answer 10

Slight amplification

Question 11

Which two nerves is the auditory nerve made up of?

Answer 11

Vestibular nerve

Cochlear nerve

Question 12

How can the facial nerve be involved in hearing?

Answer 12

A branch of the facial nerve runs close to the inner ear, and damage to the facial nerve can cause unilateral hearing loss, dizziness, and numbness in the face.

Question 13

What is the eustachian tube?

Answer 13

A tube that runs from the back of the nasal canal and equalizes the pressure on either side of the ear drum.

Question 14

Why do people with chronic middle ear problems have issues with altitudes?

Answer 14

Their eustachian tubes tend to not work as well, so equalizing pressures is painful for them.

Question 15

What are the 3 middle ear bones?

Answer 15

Malleus, incus, stapes

Question 16

What is atresia of the ear canal?

Answer 16

Abnormal closing or absence of the ear canal due to fusion of the bones

Question 17

What is microtia?

Answer 17

Malformation of the outer ear/pinna

Question 18

What is a treatment option for microtia?

Answer 18

Reconstruction with rib cartilage

Question 19

Why is the treatment for atresia not drilling in a hole?

Answer 19

The hole tends to close over time even when the ear is re-opened.
The facial nerve is too close to the ear canal, and its location is different in every person, such that the surgery could damage it and lead to even more problems (e.g. facial palsy).

Question 20

What is external otitis?

Answer 20

i.e. Swimmer’s ear. Inflammation of the ear canal.

Question 21

True or false: External otitis will cause hearing loss.

Answer 21

False, unless it prevents you from wearing hearing aids.

Question 22

What is cerumen?

Answer 22

Ear wax

Question 23

When does cerumen become a problem?

Answer 23

Only if there is a lot of wax and it completely occludes the ear canal. It’s often not the cause of hearing loss.

Question 24

Why is too much cleaning of the ear canal bad?

Answer 24

It may push cerumen/wax down to where natural migration of the wax can no longer take place.

Question 25

What can be used to break down stubborn cerumen? What is a contraindication?

Answer 25

Peroxide. | Middle ear infections are a contraindication.

Question 26

What is a characteristic of a healthy tympanic membrane?

Answer 26

"The cone of light" can be observed on the surface, anteriorly and inferiorly (4-5 o'clock).

Question 27

What does a perforated ear drum look like?

Answer 27

The ear drum has a partial hole and is red. Has fluid draining out of the hole.

Question 28

What does ear inflammation look like?

Answer 28

Red. There may be some scar tissue from prolonged inflammation. No cone of light.

Question 29

What does an obliterated ear drum look like?

Answer 29

No membrane is present, only a hole in its place.

Question 30

How are middle ear diseases often developed?

Answer 30

Bacterial are drawn up the eustachian tube from the nasal cavity.

Question 31

Why do almost all children experience a middle ear infection?

Answer 31

Children have much shallower (i.e. not as steeply angled) eustachian tube, so it's much easier for bacterial to travel up the tube.

Question 32

What is otitis media (OM)?

Answer 32

Middle ear infection

Question 33

What is serous otitis media (OM)?

Answer 33

Middle ear infection with fluid buildup behind the ear drum

Question 34

What material do bone conduction devices use?

Answer 34

Titanium

Question 35

How does noise impact hair cells?

Answer 35

High volume of noise for prolonged time can damage both inner and outer hair cells.

Question 36

What is presbycusis?

Answer 36

Age-related hearing loss

Question 37

When does presbycusis usually hit?

Answer 37

> 50 years of age

Question 38

What type of hearing loss is presbycusis typically?

Answer 38

A sloping high-frequency loss. The audiogram shows a slope to the right, meaning that higher frequencies are more difficult to hear.

Question 39

True or False: If a 70 year old has presbycusis, then they have normal hearing for their age.

Answer 39

False. They still have abnormal hearing.

Question 40

Why are high-frequency sounds important for people?

Answer 40

High frequencies hold the most information for speech.

Question 41

What is acoustic neuroma?

Answer 41

Impingement of the auditory nerve due to tumor, etc.

Question 42

When are hearing aids vs. cochlear implants used?

Answer 42

Hearing aides: For people whose inner ears work. Work with acoustic signals. Cochlear implants: For people with chronic or congenital inner ear problems. Work with electrical signals.

Question 43

Why do so few people choose treatment for their hearing losses?

Answer 43

People have a bias against hearing losses, that only old people experience them.