Diagnostic measures of ear

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Diagnostic measures of ear
Mr. Binu Babu
M.Sc. Nursing
Mrs. Jincy Ealias
M.Sc. Nursing

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• Audiometry
• Tympanometry
• Auditory Brain Stem Response
• Electronystagmography
• Platform Posturography
• Sinusoidal Harmonic Acceleration
• Middle Ear Endoscopy
• MRI
• CT Scan

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Audiometry
• To determine the type and degree of hearing loss.
• Two types: pure-tone audiometry and speech
audiometry
• Pure-tone audiometry use pure or musical tone as sound
stimulus.
• The louder the tone before the patient perceives it, the
greater the hearing loss.
• Speech audiometry use spoken word to determine the
ability to hear and discriminate sounds and words.

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Tympanometry
• Also named as impedance audiometry.
• Used to measure compliance of the tympanic membrane
and differentiate problems in the middle ear.
• Varying amounts of pressure are applied to the tympanic
membrane, and the results recorded on a graph called a
tympanogram.

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Auditory Brain Stem Response
• The auditory brain stem response is a detectable electrical
potential from cranial nerve VIII and the ascending auditory
pathways of the brain stem in response to sound
stimulation.
• Electrodes are placed on the patient’s forehead.
• Acoustic stimuli are made in the ear.
• The resulting electrophysiologic measurements can
determine at which decibel level a patient hears and
whether there are any impairments along the nerve
pathways (eg, tumor on cranial nerve VIII).

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Electronystagmography
• Electronystagmography is the measurement and graphic
recording of the changes in electrical potentials created
by eye movements during spontaneous, positional, or
calorically evoked nystagmus.
• It is also used to assess the oculomotor and vestibular
systems and their corresponding interaction.
• The test is usually completed in a darkened room.
• Five electrodes are taped to the patient’s clean face at
certain positions around the eye.
• The electrodes measure nystagmus in response to
vestibular stimulation.

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Platform Posturography
• Platform posturography is used to investigate postural
control capabilities such as vertigo.
• The integration of visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive
cues (ie, sensory integration) with motor response output
and coordination of the lower limbs is tested.
• The patient stands on a platform, surrounded by a
screen, and different conditions such as a moving
platform with a moving screen or a stationary platform
with a moving screen are presented.
• The responses from the patient on six different
conditions are measured and indicate which of the
anatomic systems may be impaired.

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Sinusoidal Harmonic Acceleration
• Sinusoidal harmonic acceleration, or a rotary
chair, is used to assess the vestibulo-ocular
system by analyzing compensatory eye
movements in response to the clockwise and
counterclockwise rotation of the chair.

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Middle Ear Endoscopy
• Middle ear is examined using an
endoscope.

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MRI, CT Scan
• For radiographical examination.