Audiology and Hearing Loss Study Set

Vocabulary flashcards covering key audiology, hearing loss, diagnostic testing, amplification, and communication management concepts.

Air Conduction (AC)

Sound transmission pathway where sound waves travel through the whole ear: outer ear to middle ear to inner ear to nerve to brain.

Bone Conduction (BC)

Sound transmission pathway where sound mechanically vibrates the skull, directly stimulating the cochlea and bypassing the outer and middle ear.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Hearing loss caused by a disruption in the outer or middle ear, where bone conduction scores are better than air conduction scores in at least 2 frequencies.

Sensory Hearing Loss

Hearing loss caused by a disruption specifically in the cochlea.

Neural Hearing Loss

Hearing loss caused by a disruption along the auditory nerve.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Hearing loss resulting from a disruption in both conductive and sensorineural mechanisms in the same ear, where bone scores are better than air scores in at least 2 frequencies and some or all bone scores fall below the normal range.

Eustachian Tube (ET)

A tube connecting the nasopharynx and middle ear sitting above the tonsils, opened by the veli palatini muscle, whose main function is to equalize air pressure between the middle and outer ear.

Otitis Media (OM)

Inflammation of the middle ear.

Effusion

Fluid accumulation in the middle ear space; if fluid contains bacteria, it is considered an infection.

Meniere Disease

An inner ear disorder caused by an increase in the volume of endolymph, characterized by tinnitus, low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, episodes of whirling dizziness, hypersensitivity to intense sounds, and a feeling of fullness in the ear.

Tinnitus

A symptom characterized by ringing in the ear.

Pure Tone Hearing Screening

A screening procedure used to identify patients with potential hearing problems, typically testing a frequency of $1000\,\text{Hz}$ at $25\,\text{dB}$.

Pure Tone Testing

Testing performed to determine hearing sensitivity across multiple frequencies ($250\text{--}8000\,\text{Hz}$), comparing individual responses to typically hearing individuals via air and bone conduction.

Speech Recognition Threshold (SRT)

The softest level (measured in $\text{dB}$) at which a person can repeat back and understand two-syllable spondee words $50\%$ of the time.

Spondee

A two-syllable word pronounced with equal stress on each syllable, used during Speech Recognition Threshold testing.

Word Recognition Score (WRS)

An assessment of auditory system clarity using a 50-word phonetically balanced list presented at a comfortably audible level ($45\,\text{dB}$ in typical hearing), reported as the percentage of words correct in each ear.

Presbycusis

Gradual hearing loss due to aging, where high frequency sensitivity is lost first due to damage to outer hair cells followed by inner hair cells.

Binaural Summation

The process where the brain combines acoustic input from both ears, resulting in higher perceived loudness and lowered required sound intensity.

Bone Conduction Hearing Aid

An amplification device for individuals who cannot wear conventional hearing aids (e.g., due to atresia, absent pinna, or persistent ear drainage), utilizing a vibrating receiver transducer against the mastoid process.

Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA)

A surgically implanted vibrator unit placed into the mastoid bone under the skin for patients with permanent conductive or candidate mixed hearing loss with normal bone conduction scores.

CROS Hearing Aids

Contralateral Routing of Signal system designed for patients with unaidable unilateral hearing loss, which picks up sound from the impaired ear via a microphone and routes it to an amplifier and receiver on the normal hearing ear.

BiCROS Hearing Aids

An amplification system used for bilateral hearing loss where one ear is aidable and the other is unaidable, placing a microphone on the deaf ear to route sound into a conventional hearing aid on the better ear.

Cochlear Implant (CI)

A surgically implanted device providing direct electrical stimulation to cranial nerve 8 ($\text{CN 8}$ / vestibulocochlear nerve), providing high frequency access up to $12000\,\text{Hz}$ for severe to profound hearing loss.

Bi-Modal Aiding

A hearing management strategy using a cochlear implant on one side (for speech recognition) and a conventional hearing aid on the other side (for low-frequency amplification).

Single Sided Deafness

A condition characterized by complete deafness or non-aidable hearing loss in one ear, combined with typical hearing in the opposite ear.

Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI)

A device that bypasses the cochlea and auditory nerve to directly stimulate the brainstem, used for patients with bilateral acoustic neuromas who lose auditory function after tumor removal.

Acoustic Neuroma

A benign tumor on cranial nerve 8 ($\text{CN 8}$) connecting the inner ear to the brain, which makes patients poor candidates for cochlear implants.

Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder

A form of sensorineural hearing loss where sound enters the inner ear normally, but transmission from the inner ear to the brain is impaired, leading to speech understanding difficulty despite sound detection.

1:1 Communicator (Hardwire Device)

An inexpensive assistive listening device using a wire connecting a microphone to an amplifier and receiver/headset to decrease distance to the speaker's mouth and reduce background noise.

FM Sound System

An assistive listening device that uses a microphone/transmitter worn by a speaker to send voice signals via FM radio waves directly to a receiver worn by the listener, maintaining an optimal signal-to-noise ratio.

Audio (Inductive) Loop System

An assistive listening system featuring a wire surrounding a seating area that transmits a microphone signal directly to a telecoil inside a user's hearing aid or cochlear implant.

Infrared System

An assistive device that transmits audio signals via infrared light from a microphone to a headset receiver or telecoil hearing aid, keeping the signal contained within a single room for privacy.

Tympanometry

An objective test performed in the ear canal that artificially alters air pressure to measure changes in admittance to assess tympanic membrane and middle ear function.

Type A Tympanogram

A tympanogram indicating normal middle ear peak pressure at $0\,\text{daPa}$, which can exhibit shallow compliance in otosclerosis or deep compliance in ossicular discontinuity.

Type B Tympanogram

A flat tympanogram showing no point of peak compliance, indicative of middle ear effusion, blockage, tympanic membrane perforation, or open ventilation tubes.

Type C Tympanogram

A tympanogram where peak compliance occurs at significant negative pressure in the ear canal, characteristic of Eustachian tube dysfunction or enlarged adenoids.

Reverberation

Sound reflections from walls, floors, and ceilings that produce unwanted echo and degrade speech clarity.

Lombard Effect

An involuntary phenomenon where a speaker increases their vocal intensity when speaking in the presence of background noise.

Classroom Audio Distribution System (CADS)

An amplification system designed to distribute only the microphone wearer's voice evenly across a classroom without amplifying background noise.

Spatial Listening

The ability to process and compare acoustic information received at both ears, aiding in sound localization and reducing cognitive load.

CLEAR (Communication Strategy)

A patient-centered acronym for managing communication breakdown: Control communication situations, Look at/lipread, Expectations realistic, Assertiveness, and Repair strategies.

SPEECH (Communication Strategy)

A speaker-centered acronym for facilitating communication with hard-of-hearing listeners: Spotlight face, Pause slightly, Empathize, Ease listening, Control conditions, and Have a plan.