Audiology Interpretation

Severity

How much hearing loss there is

Normal severity range

-10dB to 20dB

Mild severity range

21dB to 40dB

Moderate severity range

41dB to 55dB

Moderately-severe severity range

56dB to 70dB

Severe severity range

71dB to 90dB

Profound severity range

91dB or greater

Slope

The look of the hearing loss on an audiogram

Flat slope

Thresholds are within 20dB from each other across the frequency range

Sloping slope

Thresholds for high frequencies are at least 20dB poorer than low

High-frequency slope

Normal range for low frequencies to any degree of loss in high frequencies

Low-frequency slope

Degree of hearing loss for low frequencies to normal range for high frequencies

Precipitous slope

Steeply sloping high-frequency loss loss of at least 20dB per octave (ski slope)

Site of hearing loss

Where in the ear the hearing loss is located; conductive mechanisms- outer ear, middle ear; sensory/neural mechanisms- inner ear, nerve

Normal hearing

AC and BC are equal and within normal limits; no air-bone gap

Conductive hearing loss

Impaired AC from blockage in outer or middle ear; BC is normal

Sensorineural hearing loss

AC and BC are both impaired equally; one sensory/neural mechanism or both are blocked

Mixed hearing loss

AC is impaired/depressed, BC is impaired/depressed but AC is worse than BC causing an air-bone gap; one conductive mechanism and one sensory/neural mechanism blocked

Central hearing loss

A decrease in auditory comprehension regardless of language or cognitive abilities; brain

Pure tone average

Average of thresholds at 500Hz, 1000Hz, and 2000Hz

Fletcher’s average

Average of the best two thresholds of 500Hz, 1000Hz, or 2000Hz