You never had tinnitus before, but recently you suddenly started to have it.
In such a case, you may be worried that there is something wrong with you.
So you go to a hospital to have your tinnitus checked, but what does a tinnitus examination involve?
Let's take a look at the tinnitus examination and the process.
The general details of tinnitus are described in "Tinnitus is a virtual sound produced by the brain.".
Please refer to it.
What to Prepare Before a Tinnitus Examination
Before you go to the hospital for a tinnitus examination, you should have a good summary of your tinnitus occurrence.
This is because there are many different causes of tinnitus, and they are difficult to identify.
Moreover, it often cannot be solved fundamentally, and treatment takes time.
Therefore, it is better to have as much information as possible.
In particular, it is good to have the following information
- When the tinnitus began
- Is the tinnitus in one or both ears?
- What kind of sound
- Is there any change in loudness?
- Did you experience hearing difficulty or dizziness?
- How much tinnitus bothers you
- Have you ever had an ear infection?
If you remember after you go to the hospital, you may forget to mention it.
Therefore, it is a good idea to prepare in advance.
Flow of tinnitus examination
The tinnitus examination is performed in the following sequence
- medical interview
- General otolaryngology examination
- Screening
- Pure tone test
- X-ray examination
- (ABR)
- Tinnitus Questionnaire
- Examination of tinnitus
- CT or MRI or psychological testing
Let's take a look at what each test entails
medical interview
We will not suddenly conduct a tinnitus-specific interview, but rather, we will check for previous ear-related illnesses, lifestyle, health status, and so on.
Of course, the interview will also include questions that may overlap with those related to tinnitus.
General otolaryngology examination
A general otolaryngology examination includes an examination of the outer ear and tympanic membrane, among other things.
Screening
The CMI health questionnaire and the SRQ-D depression questionnaire are used to check mental health.
Pure tone test
Check for hearing loss.
The pure tone test is to test whether you can hear a beeping sound, which has been done in health checkups.
The test is performed to check two types of hearing loss: orbital hearing, which is the ability to hear sounds that normally enter the ear through the air conductor, and bone conductive hearing, which is the ability to hear sounds that are transmitted through the bones.
X-ray examination
The ear itself is checked using X-rays.
ABR
This is done when the pure tone test and X-ray test reveal a problem with the auditory nerve.
This test checks the time it takes for the brain to react after hearing a sound.
If the response is slow, there is a possibility of a tumor in the auditory nerve.
Questionnaire about tinnitus
A more tinnitus-specific interview is conducted than the first one.
Examination of tinnitus
Tinnitus-related tests include the Hitch Match test, Loudness Balance test, and Masking test.
The hitch match test measures the pitch of the tinnitus sound.
The loudness balance test measures the loudness of the tinnitus sound.
Masking test measures the intensity of the sound that causes the tinnitus to disappear.
CT or MRI or psychological testing
If there is an abnormality in the ear bone, a CT is performed.
An MRI is performed if there are likely to be abnormalities in the nerves of the ear or brain.
If there is no hearing problem or if a psychological problem is suspected, a psychological examination is performed.
In this way, various tests are performed to determine the cause of the tinnitus.
In some cases, there may be an abnormality in the brain or nerves, while in other cases, the hearing may be the cause or the mind may be the cause.
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