ABOUT OUR AUDIOLOGY PRACTICE
Raleigh Ear, Nose and Throat has been serving patients for over forty years and is one of the largest otolaryngology practices in the Raleigh area. In order to provide more comprehensive services to their patients, the physicians established the Audiology Department of Raleigh, Ear, Nose and Throat. The Audiology Department works both independently and in conjunction with the physicians to provide a wide range of hearing services, both diagnostic and rehabilitative. These services include:
- Diagnostic hearing evaluations for all ages
- Hearing aid consultations and fittings
- Dispensing of assistive listening devices and hearing aid supplies
- Counseling and fitting of hearing protection
- Diagnostic testing for vestibular disorders
Working closely with the physicians, the audiologists strive to maintain optimum hearing health.
Diagnostic Services
The Audiology Department provides a comprehensive battery of testing services, both independently and in conjunction with the physicians. Following is a brief description of these services:
Audiometry: This is the "basic hearing test." The patient is placed in a sound-treated room, and is asked to respond to different tones and to speech. A graph called an audiogram displays the patient’s thresholds. Adults are tested through earphones inserted in the ear canal. Small children are tested through speakers, using animated toys to condition them to respond to the sounds. Knowing the type and degree of hearing loss aids in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions related to the ear. The audiogram also provides the basis for recommendations for hearing aids.
Impedence Testing: This test includes the tympanogram, which measures the movement of the eardrum and the pressure in the middle ear. Also, the contraction of the middle ear muscles (called the acoustic reflex) can be measured, which gives the physician information about the movement of the bones in the middle ear (the ossicles). Impedence testing is useful in the diagnosis of middle ear disorders which affect both children and adults, such as otitis media (fluid in the ears), perforated eardrums, Eustachian tube dysfunction, and otosclerosis.
Otoacoustic Emissions Test (OAE): The OAE test is a computerized procedure which gives an objective measure of inner ear responses to different frequencies. A soft probe tip is inserted into the ear canal, and a microphone records the responses to tones. This test is ideal for testing newborns and small children. It also can detect damage to the inner ear hair cells before hearing loss is evident.
Electronystagmography (ENG): The ENG is a test of the balance system. Electrodes are placed around the eyes to record eye movement. The patient is asked to perform simple tasks, such as following a moving light target or turning the head and/or body to the right and left sides. The vestibular portion of the inner ear is stimulated by the use of warm and cool air placed in the ear canals, and the resulting involuntary eye movement called nystagmus is recorded. The results of the ENG give the physician information to help in the diagnosis and treatment of balance disorders.