 | Ed Clausen M.A
M.A. Audiologist, CCC-A is a licensed Audiologist under the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. He received his CCC-A in 1994 and serves as Company Audiologist for the 18 company offices of Midwest Hearing Aids, Inc. in Kansas. He holds memberships in the American Speech/Language and Hearing Association, the Kansas Speech/Language and Hearing Association, and the Kansas Hearing Aid Association. You may contact Ed at Midwest Hearing Aids corporate office in Wichita at 1 (800) 668-4055 or locally at (316) 264-2411. |
Audiology
2001-07-01 12:31:00
What is an audiogram?
Answer: An audiogram is a measurement of a person's ability to hear tones of different pitches. This is what is generated after a person takes the test where they repeat words and raise their hand when they hear a beeping sound through specialized earphones.When a person has an audiometric evaluation, the examiner will mark on the audiogram the softest level that the person heard the beep 50% of the time, in each ear, at each pitch. Each of these levels is called a threshold. Sometimes thresholds are measured through bone conduction. This is done by putting a plastic piece either behind the ear or on the forehead, with a band that holds it in place. By comparing the thresholds obtained through the earphones and the thresholds obtained through bone conduction, the examiner can determine if the cause of the loss is in the outer ear, middle ear(where the eardrum and three little bones are), or inner ear. This information is important because if the cause of the loss is in the outer or middle ear, it may be important for you to see a doctor. Sometimes these kinds of losses, called conductive losses, can be helped with medication or surgery. If the loss is caused by a problem in the inner ear, called a sensorineural loss, this usually is not correctable medically, and usually can be helped by properly fit hearing aids.The audiogram will give you the following information. First, it will tell you if you have a hearing loss or if you have normal hearing. Normal hearing is defined as the ability to hear the beeping sounds when they are softer than 20-25 dB. Second, it will tell you the degree of the hearing loss at each pitch. It is possible, and quite common, to have different degrees of hearing loss at different pitches. Any threshold higher than 20-25 dB represents a hearing loss: the higher the threshold, the greater the hearing loss. Hearing losses are categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or profound. Third, it will tell you the location of the problem that is causing your hearing loss - outer ear, middle ear, or inner ear. Finally, if a word discrimination test was performed, it will tell you a little bit about how accurately your brain processes speech. When this information is known, then the examiner can determine if you have normal hearing, if you are a candidate to wear hearing aids, or if you should see a doctor before proceeding with amplification.
