Hearing Aid Services: Immittance Testing (Tympanometry)
"Middle-ear testing" (immittance testing) is an important component of both a hearing screening or test. While otoscopy allows us to visibly identify red flags that may point to underlying conditions (pathologies), the otoscopic instruments are limited as they cannot see beyond the eardrum and/or may miss certain details.
However, many forms of hearing loss, as well as indicators of both serious and non-serious conditions, are indicated in the middle-ear (the area just behind the eardrum) such as eardrum perforations, ear infections, pressure buildup, disjointed mechanical systems (ossicular discontinuity), or calcified bone joints that are not able to move freely (otosclerosis).
Many of these disorders are temporary in nature in that they can be medicated or surgically improved. Thus, suggesting hearing aids in this instance may be premature.
Immittance testing is a combination of tympanometry (measuring the response of the tympanic membrane, or eardrum) and acoustic reflexes (measuring the response of the facial nerve to loud sound stimulus).
To measure both, a soft probe is inserted in the ear. In tympanometry, air pressure is inserted into the outer ear canal. Tympanometric measurements include ear canal size, amplitude of movement of eardrum, and the point at which the eardrum moves most freely. This information can correlate with debris in the ear canal, perforation of the eardrum, pressure in the middle ear, or a "loosening or breakage" of the middle ear mechanics.
Rehabilitative measures may include opening up blocked eustacian tubes using the Valsava maneuver (plugging the nose and blowing with the mouth closed), waiting for infections to pass, cerumen removal, surgery to fix perforations, release pressure, treat infections, deal with calcification (stapedectomy or stapedotomy), or deal with ossicular discontinuity.
Acoustic reflexes are measured in each ear using multiple frequencies (and sometimes intensities) of short tones. Results correlate with different types and degrees of hearing loss and are used to cross-check and/or support hearing test results.
Immittance testing takes around five minutes to perform. The success of the test requires an air-tight seal be created. In some cases, obtaining this seal is difficult due to dryness or hair in the ear canal.
UBHearing™ hearing aid services and pricing...
However, many forms of hearing loss, as well as indicators of both serious and non-serious conditions, are indicated in the middle-ear (the area just behind the eardrum) such as eardrum perforations, ear infections, pressure buildup, disjointed mechanical systems (ossicular discontinuity), or calcified bone joints that are not able to move freely (otosclerosis).
Many of these disorders are temporary in nature in that they can be medicated or surgically improved. Thus, suggesting hearing aids in this instance may be premature.
Immittance testing is a combination of tympanometry (measuring the response of the tympanic membrane, or eardrum) and acoustic reflexes (measuring the response of the facial nerve to loud sound stimulus).
To measure both, a soft probe is inserted in the ear. In tympanometry, air pressure is inserted into the outer ear canal. Tympanometric measurements include ear canal size, amplitude of movement of eardrum, and the point at which the eardrum moves most freely. This information can correlate with debris in the ear canal, perforation of the eardrum, pressure in the middle ear, or a "loosening or breakage" of the middle ear mechanics.
Rehabilitative measures may include opening up blocked eustacian tubes using the Valsava maneuver (plugging the nose and blowing with the mouth closed), waiting for infections to pass, cerumen removal, surgery to fix perforations, release pressure, treat infections, deal with calcification (stapedectomy or stapedotomy), or deal with ossicular discontinuity.
Acoustic reflexes are measured in each ear using multiple frequencies (and sometimes intensities) of short tones. Results correlate with different types and degrees of hearing loss and are used to cross-check and/or support hearing test results.
Immittance testing takes around five minutes to perform. The success of the test requires an air-tight seal be created. In some cases, obtaining this seal is difficult due to dryness or hair in the ear canal.
UBHearing™ hearing aid services and pricing...