Case History
A female patient in her early 30s was presented to the otolaryngology and communicative sciences department at a large medical center. The patient presented with symptoms of pressure localized to both ears, however greater in right ear, occasional tinnitus in right ear (described as high pitch buzzing), and mild vertigo/dizziness (provoked by movement), lasting minutes in duration.
Topic(s): otoscopy, Audiogram, tympanometry, Acoustic Reflexes, Bilateral tumors
What is ‘Normal’ Hearing?
Ask an audiologist what “normal” hearing is and, not surprisingly, you will get a variety of responses (Figure 1). Certainly, normal pure-tone threshold sensitivity does not rule out hearing difficulty or the presence of auditory pathology, including cochlear and auditory neural peripheral or central deficits. Further, a number of non-auditory factors can contribute to a patient’s perceived hearing difficulty (e.g., cognitive capacity, attention, medications, etc.).
Topic(s): Hearing Loss, Normal Hearing, audiology, Audiometry
Pediatrics: Advancements in Assessment and Rehabilitation