Weber Test
Pronunciation: VAY-ber
A clinical tuning-fork test in which a vibrating fork is placed on the midline of the skull to determine which ear perceives the sound as louder, aiding in lateralisation of hearing loss.
Full Definition
The Weber test is performed by placing a vibrating 512 Hz tuning fork on the vertex, forehead, or upper incisor teeth and asking the patient in which ear the tone is heard louder. In normal bilateral hearing or symmetric hearing loss, the tone is heard equally in both ears (midline). In unilateral or asymmetric conductive hearing loss, the tone lateralises to the affected ear, because the conductive barrier reduces ambient noise masking of the bone-conducted signal. In unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, the tone lateralises to the better (unaffected) ear. Editors must verify that lateralisation findings are described accurately and in relation to the correct ear; failure to do so is a common source of clinical documentation error. The test is named after Ernst Heinrich Weber and is typically reported in conjunction with the Rinne test.
Usage
Usage note: Always document the specific lateralisation direction (left, right, or midline) and link to the corresponding Rinne findings in clinical reports. Capitalise 'Weber' as a proper noun.
In Context
- "Weber test lateralised to the left, consistent with a left-sided conductive hearing loss confirmed on tympanometry." — ENT outpatient assessment note
- "The report stated the Weber test 'was normal' without specifying lateralisation; the editor queried the author for the specific finding." — Medical editorial query log