Audiological Diagnostics Glossary

An umbrella term for objective middle-ear assessment procedures—principally tympanometry and acoustic reflex testing—tha...

The decibel difference between the sound pressure level in the ear canal with a hearing aid in place and the sound press...

The reduction in sound intensity that occurs as a signal crosses from the test ear through the skull to the non-test ear...

The clinical technique of introducing a noise stimulus into the non-test ear during audiometric testing to prevent it fr...

A disorder of the inner ear characterised by episodic vertigo, fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and aur...

A hearing loss with both sensorineural and conductive components, evidenced by reduced bone conduction thresholds and an...

The intensity level at which a patient judges speech or a tone to be most comfortable to listen to, expressed in dB HL.

A widely used prescriptive hearing aid fitting formula developed by the National Acoustic Laboratories that specifies ta...

Sensorineural hearing loss resulting from exposure to hazardous sound levels, characteristically presenting as a notched...

Abbreviation for Otitis Media with Effusion; a condition involving non-infected fluid in the middle ear causing conducti...

A condition in which fluid accumulates in the middle ear without signs of acute infection, causing a conductive hearing...

Low-level sounds generated by the outer hair cells of the cochlea, either spontaneously or in response to an acoustic st...

A pathological condition of abnormal bone remodelling in the otic capsule, most commonly causing progressive conductive...

The visual examination of the external ear canal and tympanic membrane using an otoscope, performed as a preliminary ste...

The property of certain drugs or chemicals to cause damage to the inner ear, resulting in hearing loss, tinnitus, or ves...

A standardised set of monosyllabic words designed so that the frequency of phoneme occurrence mirrors that of conversati...

Age-related sensorineural hearing loss resulting from progressive degeneration of cochlear structures over time, charact...

A behavioural hearing test that measures an individual's hearing thresholds for pure tones at discrete frequencies to de...

The arithmetic mean of hearing thresholds (in dB HL) at two or more specified frequencies, typically 500, 1000, and 2000...

Probe microphone measurements taken inside the ear canal to verify the actual sound pressure level delivered by a hearin...

Real-Ear-to-Coupler Difference; a correction factor expressing the acoustic difference between an individual's ear canal...

An abnormal, rapid growth in perceived loudness once a sound exceeds the hearing threshold, typically associated with co...

Pertaining to pathology or dysfunction originating beyond the cochlea, along the auditory nerve or central auditory path...

A clinical tuning-fork test that compares air conduction to bone conduction sensitivity to screen for conductive hearing...