Pure Tone Audiometry

Question 1

T/F Pure tone audiometry is the most common behavioral procedure to test for degree and etiology of a hearing loss

Answer 1

T

Question 2

What is the audiological definition of threshold?

Answer 2

The SOFTEST level of sound a person can detect 50% of the time

Question 3

T/F The human ear is sensitive to all

frequencies equally

Answer 3

F

Question 4

What is our range of auditory sensitivity? Why is this?

Answer 4

3,000-3,500 Hz

Result of ear canal resonance

Question 5

Why are we also sensitive at 1,500 HZ?

Answer 5

Result of middle ear resonance

Question 6

Dynamic range across frequencies is called:

Answer 6

Audibility area

Question 7

What is dynamic range?

Answer 7

It is the range between our upper limits of tolerance and threshold of audibility

Question 8

What does it mean to say that LDL is a flat function?

Answer 8

For the average person, their LDL is the same for every frequency – 130dB

Question 9

Do audiograms use dBHL or dBSPL?

Answer 9

dBHL!!!!

Question 10

What is the purpose of using an audiogram?

Answer 10

It gives us a flat line to compare normal hearing

Question 11

What are the options of transducers?

Answer 11

Headphones, inserts/earphones, bone conduction oscillator, and loudspeaker

Question 12

Compare and contrast full range audiometer with limited range audiometer and screening audiometer in terms of signals, transducers, and masking abilities

Answer 12

Full:
Signals - pure tones, speech stimuli
Transducers - all transducers
Masking abilities - all masking abilities
Limited:
Signals - pure tones
Transducers - headphones and bone oscillator
Masking abilities - white noise masking
Screening:
Signals - pure tones
Transducers - earphones 
Masking abilities - none

Question 13

If you don’t get a response at 30dBHL for familiarization, what dB should you go to?

Answer 13

50dBHL (if still no response, then 10 dB increments up from there until a response in obtained)

Question 14

What is familiarization?

Answer 14

Familiarization is a test run to make sure the clients know what they’re doing before you start collecting information

Question 15

What are the sites of lesion for a conductive hearing loss?

Answer 15

Outer and middle ear

Question 16

During threshold determination what happens when you get a response? No response?

Answer 16

Response? Decrease 10dB

No response? Increase 5dB

Question 17

When a difference of 20 dB or more exists between the threshold values at any two adjacent octave frequencies what do you do?

Answer 17

Measure inter-octaves

Question 18

T/F When you place the bone conduction oscillator on the right mastoid, only the right cochlea is stimulated

Answer 18

F! Bone conduction stimulates both cochleas unless you use masking

Question 19

What are the 5 items that you look for when interpreting an audiogram?

Answer 19

Which ear
Symmetry between ears
Slope of loss
Nature of the loss
Degree of loss

Question 20

Pure Tone Average is the average of what three frequencies?

Answer 20

500, 1000, 2000Hz

Question 21

What are the sites of lesion for sensorineural hearing loss?

Answer 21

Cochlea
Auditory Nerve
Central Auditory Pathways

Question 22

What are the steps of conducting on audiometric evaluation?

Answer 22

Obtain AC results
Obtain BC results
Compare thresholds
Determine type of hearing loss and site of lesion

Question 23

If AC and BC results are the same what type of hearing loss is this and what is the site of lesion?

Answer 23

Sensorineural hearing loss

Inner ear

Question 24

If AC results show a hearing loss but BC results show normal hearing, what is the hearing loss and site of lesion?

Answer 24

Conductive hearing loss

Outer or middle ear

Question 25

What is the definition of the symmetry of hearing loss

Answer 25

A difference in the two ears with respect to degree and slope

Question 26

What is a considered a significant air-bone gap? What is not considered significant?

Answer 26

15dB IS significant | 10dB is NOT significant

Question 27

With a mixed hearing loss, air conduction results will always have a higher degree of hearing loss. Why is this?

Answer 27

The sound has to travel through the sensorineural impairment AS WELL AS the conductive impairment, making it a double whammy for that sound wave!

Question 28

List the range in Hz for each degree of hearing loss:

Answer 28

``` 0-25 Normal 26-40 Mild 41-55 Moderate 56-70 Moderately-Severe 71-90 Severe 91+ Profound ```

Question 29

When do you use a two-frequency pure tone average?

Answer 29

When there is a significant difference in threshold (20 dB or greater) between two frequencies, then you can calculate a two-frequency PTA

Question 30

What are the 9 slopes of hearing loss?

Answer 30

``` Flat loss Gradual slope Rising slope Sharply sloping Precipitously sloping Fragmentary slope Notch slope Trough slope Cookie bite slope ```

Question 31

What is the definition of precipitously sloping?

Answer 31

Near normal in the low frequencies, sudden drop at higher frequency

Question 32

What slope is created by only having responses in the left corner of an audiogram?

Answer 32

Fragmentary slope

Question 33

What is the definition of a trough shaped slope?

Answer 33

Better hearing in the mid-frequencies

Question 34

What is the definition of a cookie bite slope?

Answer 34

Poorer hearing in the mid-frequencies