Tinnitus is a condition involving a a constant ringing in a patient’s ears. A tinnitus test consists of visiting a physician known as an otolaryngologist who specializes in dealing with ear, nose, and throat ailments and undergoing a sequence of hearing tests. The test usually begins with an audiogram and also includes x-rays and a maskability exam.
Patients are deemed to have tinnitus when they hear a ringing sound in their ears in the absence of any external sound. It is not actually a disease; instead it is a symptom which could come from a range of other causes such as a wax build up in the ear. Tinnitus is a common complaint; those between the ages of 55-65 seemingly are most at risk with over 20% in that demographic suffering from it.
An audiogram is also commonly referred to as a hearing acuity test which produces a chart measuring a person’s ability to hear sounds as well as the capacity to distinguish between different noises. An effective means of measuring tinnitus is by using the brain’s capacity to only hear the loudest sounds. An audiogram plays sounds that have a known amplitude and the patient is asked if he or she can hear it. This tinnitus test is a good method of discovering the severity of the tinnitus.
X-rays are also used in order to determine if there are any physical problems within the ear which could cause tinnitus. For example,an X-ray may discover an abnormality in the veins and arteries in the head which could lead to turbulent blood flow in the ear region. This leads to increased pressure causing the sound of blood pumping to be heard in the ear. This condition is know as pulsatile tinnitus and can only be discovered through X-rays. A Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) scan or a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan could also be performed depending on the patient’s condition.
Another tinnitus test that patients often undergo is a maskability exam; this is designed to determine the impact of external sounds on tinnitus and how these sounds could be covering up the condition. A masking noise is emitted which drowns out the noises connected with tinnitus. This noise is increased until the patient can hear it. This level is then recorded. The otolaryngologist will continue this particular tinnitus test by increasing the masking sound to a level where the patient can no longer hear the noises made by the condition.