How a Gorilla Gets a Hearing Test

Ever wonder how a gorilla suspected of hearing loss gets a hearing test ? Wonder no more... Watch this news video clip showing how a gorilla suspected of hearing loss got a hearing test . This procedure is known as a sedated auditory brainstem response and is a test that is routinely performed on infants/children. In order to undergo an auditory brainstem response test , you do NOT have to be sedated unless there is a concern the patient may not be cooperative (won't mess with t…

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Inner Ear Disease Possible Cause for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)?

Image courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen at  FreeDigitalPhotos.net A loyal blog reader alerted me to an interesting research suggesting that inner ear disease may be a causative factor of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Apparently this association  made the news in April 2015. SIDS is when a baby without any obvious health issues inexplicably and suddenly dies while sleeping. This risk is mainly present within the first 12 months of life. Although all new parents are informed to institute…

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New Video on Newborn Hearing Testing

Given how often we see newborns in need of hearing testing , we have produced a video showing how the two main types of non-verbal hearing tests are performed today: Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and Otoacoustic Emission (OAE). Given newborns can not communicate whether they can hear or not, such hearing tests depend on the ability to detect nerve signals transmitting sound information from the ear all the way to the brain. This type of test is much like an EKG which can detect the el…

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Auditory Neuropathy

CNN published an article March 10, 2011 on a hearing problem called auditory neuropathy. At its essence, auditory neuropathy is when the inner ear is working fine, but the nerve going from the inner ear to the brain is impaired. The hallmark of auditory neuropathy is a negligible or very abnormal ABR (auditory brainstem response) reading together with a normal OAE (otoacoustic emission) reading. A normal OAE reading is a sign that the outer hair cells are working normally. Therein lies …

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New Video Produced on Non-Sedated ABR/OAE Testing

Our office has produced a new video on non-sedated ABR/OAE hearing testing. Such testing traditionally required sedation as the patient was required to be absolutely still and quiet in order to obtain accurate test results. However, new technology now enables such testing to be performed without sedation. Furthermore, given the testing can be performed wirelessly, the patient can stand and walk around. Absolute quiet is also no longer necessary and the patient can actively play and even eat…

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Non-Sedated ABR & OAE Now Offered at Fauquier ENT

What is ABR/OAE? ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) as well as OAE (Oto-Acoustic Emission) are specialized hearing tests that can evaluate whether a child/infant/newborn can hear without requiring them to respond. These tests are completely non-invasive. Just like an EKG measures a heart's electrical activity using little stickers, ABR/OAE testing checks out the electrical activity from the ear to the brain. Special stickers on the head enable us to "see" whether the brain &…

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