Hearing Loss

Question 1

What is conductive hearing loss?

Answer 1

A problem with sound travelling from the environment to the inner ear

Question 2

What is sensorineural hearing loss?

Answer 2

A problem with the sensory system or vestibulocochlear nerve in the inner ear

Question 3

What is Weber’s Test?

Answer 3

• Strike tuning fork and make it vibrate
• Place in centre of patients forehead
• Ask if they can hear the sound and which ear it is loudest in
• Sensorineural loss: sound louder in normal ear
• Conductive: sound will be louder in affected ear

Question 4

What is Rinne’s test?

Answer 4

• Strike the tuning fork and make it vibrate
• Place on mastoid process to test bone conduction and ask patient to tell you when it has stopped
• Then place 1cm from ear and ask if they can hear now
• Repeat on both ears
• Rinne’s positive: Patient can hear sound when moved to ear (air conduction > bone conduction) - sensoinureal
• Rinne’s negative: Patient cannot hear sound when moved to ear (bone conduction > air conduction) - conductive