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Audiology - Risks

Alternative Names

Audiometry; Hearing test; Audiography (audiogram)

What the risks are:

There is no risk.

Special considerations:

There are many different hearing function tests. In simple screenings, the health care provider will make a loud noise and watch to see if it startles you. Detailed screenings include brainstem auditory evoked response testing (BAER). This test uses an electroencephalogram to detect brain wave activity when sounds are made.

A newer hearing test called otoacoustic emission testing (OAE) can be used in very young children (such as newborns) or when standard tests do not produce reliable results.

Ear anatomy

Reviewed last on: 10/10/2008
Alan Lipkin, MD, Otolaryngologist, Private Practice, Denver, Colorado. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Cummings CW, Flint PW, Haughey BH, et al. Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 4th ed. St Louis, Mo; Mosby; 2005:3466-3479.

Kerschner JE. Neonatal hearing screening: To do or not to do. Pediatr Clin North Am. June 2004; 51(3): 725-36, x.

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