AUDIOLOGY- INTRODUCTION (AB)

Question 1

What is audiology?

Answer 1

Audiology is the science of evaluating hearing, diagnosing its causes, assessing its impact, and rehabilitating individuals with communication problems.

Question 2

What are the key aspects of hearing evaluation in audiology?

Answer 2

Etiological diagnosis, assessment of hearing impairment impact, and rehabilitation guided by hearing measurements.

Question 3

What is the simplest form of sound?

Answer 3

A pure tone (a single frequency).

Question 4

How is frequency measured?

Answer 4

In hertz (Hz), which represents cycles per second.

Question 5

What is sound intensity measured in?

Answer 5

Decibels (dB).

Question 6

What are the two separate measurements decibels refer to?

Answer 6

Sound pressure level (actual strength of sound) and hearing threshold levels (relation to audiometric zero).

Question 7

What are the advantages of listening with two ears?

Answer 7

Better speech discrimination in noise, binaural summation (perceived loudness increase), squelch effect (background noise suppression), elimination of head shadow effect, localization, and judgment of naturalness.

Question 8

What is binaural summation?

Answer 8

The increase in perceived loudness when listening with both ears compared to one ear.

Question 9

What is the squelch effect?

Answer 9

The suppression of background noise when attending to a primary signal.

Question 10

What is the head shadow effect?

Answer 10

The phenomenon where sound reaches the nearer ear first, with the head blocking some of the sound before it reaches the other ear.

Question 11

How does listening with both ears eliminate the head shadow effect?

Answer 11

By allowing the brain to process sound from both sides, compensating for any sound obstruction.

Question 12

What is sound localization?

Answer 12

The ability to determine where a sound is coming from.

Question 13

What is judgment of naturalness in hearing?

Answer 13

The ability to differentiate between natural voices and artificial sound systems.

Question 14

At what sound pressure level (SPL) can noise cause pain?

Answer 14

Noises over 140 dB SPL.

Question 15

At what SPL can long-term exposure harm hearing?

Answer 15

Noises over 90 dB SPL.

Question 16

What are the two routes of hearing?

Answer 16

Air conduction (AC) and bone conduction (BC).

Question 17

What does air conduction (AC) test?

Answer 17

The integrity of the external, middle, and inner ear.

Question 18

What does bone conduction (BC) test?

Answer 18

The integrity of the cochlea (inner ear) by bypassing the external and middle ear.

Question 19

What is the process of hearing?

Answer 19

1. Sound vibrations strike the eardrum. 2. Auditory ossicles vibrate, moving the stapes at the oval window. 3. Fluid inside the cochlea moves. 4. This movement generates nerve impulses, sent to the brain via the cochlear nerve.

Question 20

What are the types of hearing loss?

Answer 20

Conductive, sensorineural, and mixed hearing loss.

Question 21

What is conductive hearing loss?

Answer 21

Hearing loss due to damage in the external auditory canal (EAC) or middle ear (ME) while bone conduction remains normal.

Question 22

What is sensorineural hearing loss?

Answer 22

Hearing loss due to damage in the cochlea or retrocochlear pathways, where both air and bone conduction are impaired.

Question 23

What is mixed hearing loss?

Answer 23

A combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.

Question 24

What happens when sound collides with the tympanic membrane?

Answer 24

Most of the energy is reflected, causing energy loss.

Question 25

What is the role of the tympanic membrane in sound perception?

Answer 25

It acts as a critical structure for transmitting sound vibrations to the inner ear.

Question 26

How does the ear compensate for energy loss when sound enters?

Answer 26

Through impedance matching: the tympanic membrane-to-stapes surface area ratio (17:1) and the ossicular lever system (1.3x), resulting in an efficiency of 22.1.

Question 27

What is the function of the ossicles in hearing?

Answer 27

They act as a lever system to amplify sound transmission to the inner ear.

Question 28

What is the function of the basilar membrane?

Answer 28

It vibrates at different locations depending on sound frequency, stimulating specific auditory nerve fibers.

Question 29

What is the most common cause of conductive hearing loss?

Answer 29

Impacted earwax.

Question 30

What is ossicular discontinuity and its causes?

Answer 30

A disruption in the ossicle chain due to trauma, infection, surgery, or tympanic membrane perforation.

Question 31

What is otosclerosis?

Answer 31

Fixation of the stapes footplate, preventing it from vibrating against the oval window, reducing sound transmission.

Question 32

How can middle ear fluid affect hearing?

Answer 32

It impedes ossicle vibration and tympanic membrane movement, reducing sound transmission.

Question 33

What is the function of the eustachian tube?

Answer 33

To equalize pressure between the middle ear and the external environment.

Question 34

What are the normal functions of the external and middle ear?

Answer 34

Acts as a transformer, converting sound pressure into mechanical vibrations and transmitting it from air to solid matter.

Question 35

What happens when the external or middle ear is damaged?

Answer 35

It causes conductive hearing loss, leading to elevated hearing thresholds.

Question 36

What are the normal functions of the cochlea and auditory nerve?

Answer 36

1. Transducer (converting mechanical energy into electrical impulses). 2. Coder (processing electrical signals into recognizable sound patterns).

Question 37

What happens when the cochlea or auditory nerve is damaged?

Answer 37

1. Transducer damage leads to distortion (hearing sound but not understanding it). 2. Coder damage leads to adaptation (hearing and understanding but failing to comprehend).