Diagnostic Test

We are all concerned about our health, we have become more and more focused on stopping sickness through preventative healthcare. One of the methods you can put your hearing at risk, probably, is ignoring getting your ears checked if you notice a possible drop in your hearing. At Star Key Hearing clinics, we provide a variety of checkups depending on the case of the patient:

Audiometer Test:

An audiometer is a machine used to generate pure tone sounds at specific volumes used to test ears hearing acuity. The audiometric test aims to determine the frequency and intensity at which the patient can hear sounds. It can also identify the extent and type of hearing loss. The audiometric test is performed while the patient sits in a soundproof booth, and the hearing professional outside the booth communicates to the patient with a microphone.

The audiometer machine helps the audiologist to perform the following hearing tests:

• Pure Tone Air Conduction: This test helps find the quietest sound the patient can hear at different frequencies. The patient responds by pushing a button inside the soundproof booth, and the audiologist reports the patient’s response to different sounds at several frequencies. The pure tone air conduction test does not show a hearing loss in only one ear.

• Pure Tone Bone Conduction: This test helps determine if the patient’s hearing difficulty is due to a problem with the middle or inner ear. It is conducted by placing a bone oscillator behind the ear instead of headphones. The bone oscillator transfers sound through bone vibration to the cochlea or inner ear, bypassing the middle and outer ear.

• Speech Audiometry Test: This test is designed to check how loud the speech needs to be for the patient to hear and how clearly the patient can understand and distinguish different spoken words. While sitting in the soundproof booth, the audiologist will ask the patient to repeat a list of words through the microphone to measure word recognition ability of the patient.

• Tinnitus Test: This test is made to identify the tinnitus that the patient has in his/her ear(s). Tinnitus test is performed by playing series of audio clips in the patient’s ear(s) for what is known as Sound Matching Test, for a hope to identify which sound is closest to the internally perceived sound that patient hears. Based on the results of the tinnitus match test and the medical history obtained from the patient, the audiologist can work on a tinnitus relief plan.

• Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) Test for Kids: VRA is a test to evaluate hearing in infants and toddlers who are too young for regular checks. The test counts on behavioral conditioning to train very young kids to respond to sounds, usually using toys to grab their attention. The test is designed for children age six months to around three years old.

Tympanometry Test

This test measures the resistance to the air pressure of the middle ear. The test should always be conducted in conjunction with pure tone audiometry test. A probe-type device is placed in the ear canal to measure the movements of the eardrum in response to air pressure changes. These measurements are recorded in the tympanometer machine for the audiologist to analyze and build the perception of the patient middle ear status.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Test for Kids

ABR test is used to detect hearing loss for infants and children who may not be able to react to the regular behavioral hearing tests because of their age. It checks your child’s brain’s response to sound to monitor the child’s hearing. The child will not feel anything during this test; it is safe and does not hurt, and it is conducted once the child sleeps. Unlike what is commonly done, at Star Key Hearing clinics, no anesthesia is needed for this test. Small stickers with sensors, called “electrodes,” will be placed on the child’s forehead and around ears then connected to a computer to detect the response from the brain hearing nerve to the sound played into the ears.

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