Audi Health Dictionary

A graph produced during hearing tests (with an audiometer) that shows the hearing threshold – the minimal audible loudness level – for a range of sound frequencies.... audiogram

See VESTIBULOCOCHLEAR NERVE.... auditory nerve

A detailed review and evaluation of selected clinical records by qualified professional personnel for the purpose of evaluating the quality of medical care.... medical audit

The testing of hearing.... audiometry

A MEDICAL AUDIT carried out by health professionals.... clinical audit

The study of hearing, especially of impaired hearing that cannot be corrected by drugs or surgery.... audiology

n. see clinical audit.... audit

A hearing test used to investigate the middle ear in cases of conductive deafness.... impedance audiometry

n. an apparatus for testing hearing at different sound frequencies, so helping in the diagnosis of deafness. —audiometry n.... audiometer

adj. relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing.... auditory

a device similar to a *cochlear implant except that the electrode stimulates the auditory parts of the *brainstem rather than the cochlea. It is used to restore hearing of profoundly deaf people who have had damage to both auditory nerves and are hence unsuitable for cochlear implantation. It consists of an electrode that is permanently implanted on the surface of the brainstem. An external device with a microphone and an electronic processing unit pass information to the electrode using radio-frequency waves. The implant is powered by batteries in the external part of the device. It is most commonly used in patients with *neurofibromatosis type II who have had bilateral *vestibular schwannomas.... auditory brainstem implant

(ABR audiometry, brainstem evoked response audiometry, BSER) an objective test of hearing that measures the electrical activity in the auditory nerve and *brainstem following sound stimulation using repeated clicks or brief tones.... auditory brainstem response audiometry

(auditory meatus) the canal leading from the pinna to the eardrum.... auditory canal

see auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.... auditory dyssynchrony

(auditory neuropathy, auditory dyssynchrony) a form of hearing loss characterized by normal cochlear function as measured by *otoacoustic emissions or detection of *cochlear microphonics but abnormal or absent *middle ear reflexes and abnormal *auditory brainstem responses.... auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder

(APD, central auditory processing disorder, CAPD) a series of conditions characterized by difficulty in hearing and processing auditory information, especially in poor acoustic environments, despite normal or near-normal ear function. It may be due to genetic factors, maturational delay in the central nervous system, or focal abnormalities of the central nervous system (such as tumours). Treatments include *hearing therapy, *auditory skills training, educational support, use of *assistive listening devices, and training with computerized therapy tools.... auditory processing disorder

a method of teaching people to use their hearing to its best potential, undertaken in the treatment of *auditory processing disorder.... auditory skills training

(ASSR) an objective test of hearing that measures the electrical activity in the auditory nerve and *brainstem following sound stimulation using a modulated continuous tone.... auditory steady state response

(AVT) a technique for teaching deaf children to communicate that focuses on speech and residual hearing rather than sign language.... auditory verbal therapy

see auditory brainstem response audiometry.... brainstem evoked response audiometry

see auditory processing disorder.... central auditory processing disorder

(CHAPS) a questionnaire designed to assess children’s hearing abilities in certain situations. It is used in the diagnosis of *auditory processing disorder.... children’s auditory performance scale

(CERA) an objective test of hearing that measures the electrical activity in the *cerebral cortex following sound stimulation.... cortical evoked response audiometry

see audiogram.... free field audiogram

(OAD, King–Kopetzky syndrome) hearing difficulty, especially in noisy environments, in an individual with a normal *audiogram: a form of *auditory processing disorder. Treatment includes *hearing therapy.... obscure auditory dysfunction

(PTA) see audiogram.... pure tone audiogram

(visual reinforced audiometry, VRA) a behavioural test of hearing for children aged approximately 6 to 30 months in which the subject sits between two calibrated loudspeakers. A sound is generated from one loudspeaker. Children who turn towards the sound are rewarded by brief illumination of a toy adjacent to the loudspeaker. Older children can be tested with headphones, rather than using the loudspeakers, to enable each ear to be tested separately. The test can be adapted for use with older subjects who have learning disabilities.... visual reinforcement audiometry