Audiology

Introduction

This article forms part of our ‘Tests and results’ series for 2011 which aims to provide information about common tests that general practitioners order regularly. It considers areas such as indications, what to tell the patient, what the test can and cannot tell you, and interpretation of results.

An audiogram is a hearing test conducted under ideal listening conditions in a soundproof booth. The test includes different pitches and intensities and the results are conveyed in graphical form. If there is hearing loss an audiogram helps distinguish conductive loss (outer/middle ear) from sensorineural loss (cochlea/cochlear nerve).