Neurotological Tests

Brain Stem Evoked Response Audiometry is an objective test that gives us the approximate hearing threshold level of the subject. It is a very reliable test to objectively evaluate the hearing threshold of an adult or child across all frequencies except for the low frequencies. It is usually done using a click sound by which the subject's average hearing threshold across all frequencies can be automatically assessed without the subject having to respond. This test can be used to assess hearing thresholds even in newborn babies.

This is a subjective test in which the result is dependent on the patient's response. It is considered to be the most informative test in the audiological test battery and is a very reliable test if done by a reliable person. It gives an idea of the hearing threshold in the different frequencies . If there is deafness it tells us whether the deafness is due to defect in the middle ear or in the inner ear or in the nerve of hearing. Localizing tests like TDT, SISI, ABLB and glycerol tests which help in diagnosing the nature and site of lesion are also done here.

This special testing is done for patients of tinnitus, sudden hearing loss, hearing loss due to exposure to loud noise, industrial workers etc. We test frequencies from 250 – 16,000 Hz.

Also called tympanometry, this test tells us about the functioning of the middle ear and also that of the cochlea (i.e. inner ear). This is an objective test (i.e. the results are not dependent upon the subject's response) and it helps the clinician to identify the nature of pathology in middle ear disorders, like whether it is a case of Otosclerosis, Otitis Media with Effusion, adhesive otitis media etc.

Otoacoustic Emission Test (OAE) is a very quick objective test to know whether the subject (i.e. the adult / child on whom the test is being conducted) has normal hearing or not. Like the other audiological tests it is a painless test. The test is very commonly used for testing newborn infants to check whether they have any hearing defect. If any deafness is detected then the degree of deafness has to be ascertained by other tests like- BERA / ASSR etc. as OAE cannot evaluate the hearing threshold and it can only tell us whether any deafness is at all present or if the hearing is normal. The OAE test is now mandatory in all newborns in most developed countries and is a must in all infants born of high risk pregnancies.

Fitting and Programming of high tech digital hearing aids is another facility that we have at the Vertigo and Deafness Clinic at Jain ENT Hospital. Very sophisticated modern digital hearing aids are dispensed.