Audiological Diagnostics Glossary
102 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
Pure-Tone Audiometry PTA
A behavioural hearing test that measures an individual's hearing thresholds for pure tones at discrete frequencies to determine the degree and configuration of hearing loss.
ABG
Abbreviation for Air–Bone Gap, the decibel difference between air-conduction and bone-conduction thresholds at a given f...
Acceptable Noise Level
A measure of the maximum level of background noise a listener is willing to tolerate while following speech, used to pre...
Acoustic Neuroma
A benign, slow-growing tumour arising from the Schwann cells of the vestibulocochlear nerve, also called vestibular schw...
Acoustic Reflex
An involuntary contraction of the stapedius muscle (and tensor tympani) in response to loud sounds, measurable by immitt...
Acoustic Reflex Decay
The reduction in stapedius muscle contraction amplitude during sustained loud-tone stimulation, used as a marker of retr...
Admittance
A measure of the ease with which energy flows through the middle ear system, expressed in millimhos (mmho) or millilitre...
Aided Audiogram
An audiogram obtained while a patient is wearing their hearing device, used to demonstrate the device's benefit by compa...
Aided Threshold
The softest sound level a patient can detect while wearing a hearing aid or other amplification device, measured in dB H...
Air–Bone Gap
The difference in decibels between a patient's air-conduction and bone-conduction thresholds at the same frequency, indi...
Audiogram
A graphical record of a patient's hearing thresholds across a range of frequencies, plotted in decibels hearing level (d...
Audiological Evaluation
A comprehensive battery of diagnostic tests administered by an audiologist to characterise the type, degree, and configu...
Audiological History
A structured case history taken by an audiologist that documents the onset, progression, and context of a patient's hear...
Audiological Rehabilitation
A multidisciplinary intervention programme aimed at minimising hearing loss–related disability and improving communicati...
Audiometric Notch
A sharply localised dip in hearing sensitivity at a specific frequency—most characteristically at 4000 Hz—surrounded by...
Audiometric Zero
The standardised reference sound pressure level calibrated to represent the average threshold of hearing in young, otolo...
Audioscope
A handheld otoscope-audiometer combination device used to perform brief hearing screenings at fixed frequencies and inte...
Auditory Brainstem Response
An electrophysiological test that records the electrical activity of the auditory nerve and brainstem in response to cli...
Auditory Cortex
The region of the cerebral cortex, located in the temporal lobe (Heschl's gyri), responsible for the higher-order proces...
Auditory Deprivation
The progressive decline in speech understanding ability in an unaided ear, resulting from prolonged lack of auditory sti...
Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder
A hearing disorder characterised by abnormal auditory nerve function with relatively intact outer hair cell function, re...
Auditory Processing Disorder
A deficit in the perceptual processing of auditory information in the central auditory nervous system, occurring in the...
Auditory Steady-State Response
An objective, electrophysiological measure of hearing sensitivity that uses continuous modulated tones to elicit a frequ...
Aural Fullness
A subjective sensation of pressure, blockage, or congestion in the ear, documented as a symptom in audiological case his...
Behavioural Observation Audiometry
An informal, non-conditioned hearing screening technique used with neonates and very young infants in which behavioural...