Definitions
Types of Hearing Loss
Conductive- Cochlear functions correctly, but something is blocking the sound from getting there
Mixed- Loss is part conductive, part sensorineural
Sensorineural- Cochlea is not functioning correctly
Microtia/Atresia
Aural Atresia or Congenital Aural Atresia- Missing ear canal
BMA- Bilateral Microtia and Atresia (i.e. both sides)
Canal Stenosis- Incomplete atresia, narrow ear canal
LMA- Left microtia and atresia (ie. unilateral on left side)
Microtia- Missing or deformed outer ear
RMA- Right microtia and atresia (ie. unilateral on right side)
Stapes Fixation / Malformation- Congenital malformation or fusion of the stapes (one of the three bones of the middle ear)
UMA- Unilateral microtia and atresia
Medical Tests
ABR- Auditory Brainstem Response (same as BAER)
Audiogram- Hearing Test
BAER- Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (same as ABR)
CT Scan-Computerized Tomography Scan
HINT- Hearing In Noise Test
NBHS- Newborn Hearing Screening
MRI- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Tympanogram- Test of pressure on ear drum
Audiogram Abbreviations
AC- Air Conduction
BC- Bone Conduction
CNT- Could Not Test
Cookie Bite- A loss that is exclusively (or worse) in the speech frequencies, the audiogram picture looks like a cookie with a bite taken out of it, hence the term,
dB -Decibel, measure of hearing (logorythmic)
DNT- Did Not Test
Hz- Herz, a measurement of the frequency of the sound being tested
KHz- Kilo Herz 4000 Hz == 4KHz
Mild Hearing Loss- 21-40 dB in children, 26-40 dB in adults
Moderate Hearing- loss 41-60 dB
Normal Hearing- anything under 20 dB in children, 25 dB in adults
Profound Hearing Loss- 81 dB or higher
PTA- Pure Tone Average, the average of the 3 speech frequencies where the person reliably responds to tones
Severe Hearing Loss- 61-80 dB
SLT- Speech Language Threshold
SNHL-Sensineural Hearing Loss
Speech Frequencies- 1K to 4K Hz
SRT- Speech Reception Threshold (SLT and SRT are pretty much interchangeable)
WNL-Within Normal Limits
Devices
BAHA- Bone Anchored Hearing Appliance
BCHA- Bone Conduction Hearing Aid
HA- Hearing Aid
FM System- Uses FM radio signal to send sound from person wearing microphone directly to hearing impaired individual
Sound Field System- Like FM, but uses “boom box” or amplifiers rather than headphones or hearing aids
Surgeries
Atresia Repair- Creation of an ear canal
Medpor Microtia Repair- Creation of an outer ear using a piece of high tech plastic
PORP- Partial Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis
Rib Graft Microtia Repair- Creation of an outer ear using a rib
Stapedotomy- Removal of stapes bone
TORP- Total Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis
Tympanostomy- ear “tubes” (sometimes called PE [Pressure Equalization] tubes)
VORP- Vibrating Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis