Pure Tone Audiometry

When there is a decrease or loss in hearing the sound, Pure Tone Audiometry comes into a picture. Pure Tone Audiometry or in short PTA is a kind of hearing test used to identify the hearing threshold frequency.  It is also known as behavioral kind of testing as it depends on the co-operation of the patient during the diagnosis of the hearing loss. PTA measures only the audibility threshold of hearing among all the other features of the hearing loss. The type of loss can also be located through an air-bone gap, as PTA uses both air and bone Audiometry for measurement.  Aditi Hearing is standardized with the calibration of the test environment and the ISO testing types of equipment that carry out the test effectively.

Hearing Loss occurs due to various factors like Age, Noise, Genetic Problem, Perinatal Problems like premature birth and infants born to alcoholic mother(Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders), Continuous Medication, Disorders like Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, viral infection of ear, Syphilis transmitted from pregnant women to fetus, Physical trauma like severe damage to brain may also lead to hearing loss.

Levels of Hearing Loss:

As defined by WHO, the grade of hearing loss is categorized as slight, mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe and profound:

  • The threshold between 16db to 25db is considered as the Slight hearing loss
  • Mild Hearing Loss: Threshold between 26 dbHL to 40 dbHL.
  • Moderate Hearing Loss: Threshold between 41 dbHL to 54 dbHL
  • Moderately Severe Hearing Loss: Threshold between 55 dbHL to 70 dbHL
  • Severe Hearing Loss: Threshold between 71 to 90 dbHL
  • Profound Hearing Loss: Threshold of 91 dbHL and higher

Hearing Disability occurs when hearing sound diminishes in Quiet and background noise which is caused by Hearing impairment or Hearing Loss.  Aditi Hearing identifies carefully all the above levels and provides the solutions for almost all the levels of Hearing Loss problems.

Types of Hearing Loss:

There are three main types of hearing loss

  1. Conductive Hearing loss (CHL) – Recognized when there is a problem of performing Sound waves in Outer Ear, Ear Drum or Middle ear. The person with Conductive Hearing Loss in quiet or no sound, the Speech recognition threshold (SRT) should be higher than the person with normal hearing. The increase in SRT depends on the levels of Hearing loss.
  2. Sensorineural Hearing loss (SNHL) – Occurs when there is a hearing problem in the inner ear or sensory organs like Cochlea and other associated Structure or Carnival nerve or neural part. The person with Sensorineural Hearing Loss in quiet or no sound, the SRT also should be higher than the person with a normal hearing due to the consideration of the only audibility of the sound factor both in CHL and SNHL.
  3. Mixed Hearing Loss – Occurs when both CHL and SHL are detected.

Understanding the reports of PTA:

The Audiogram generated from Pure Tone Audiometry arises with symptoms or causes of the different classes of hearing loss. When there is a flat increase in threshold range in Audiogram, this typically implies Conducive Hearing Loss. The threshold of contoured shape depicts Sensorineural Hearing loss.  Age-related Hearing Loss shows higher frequency. Aditi Hearing will help you out with painless test procedures and comes out with the reports of Hearing Loss degree with the types of problem that you are suffering from.

Please feel free to reach our experts for any thing you need around the clock. Contact us now!

Home
Call
Mail