Hearing
Loss — Hearing Loss Causes — Hearing
Aid Technology Medical Dictionary
In addition to information new hearing aid technologies,
find in-depth information on the causes, diagnosis,
and treatment of hearing loss. This medical dictionary
covers the terms used in the report, Hearing
Loss: A guide to prevention and treatment,
and includes details on the causes of hearing
loss, how to prevent it, hearing aids, and how
to live with it.
audiogram: A graph showing
the shape, or nature, of your hearing loss as
measured by a complete hearing evaluation.
audiologist: A health professional
who assesses hearing and balance, as well as
fits and dispenses hearing aids.
auditory nerve: The nerve in
the inner ear that receives electrical signals
from the hair cells and relays them to the brain.
Also known as the eighth cranial nerve.
cochlea: A snail-shaped structure
in the inner ear where sound is changed into
nerve impulses that the brain can interpret as
a particular sound.
cochlear implant: An electronic
device that is implanted in the inner ear to
restore some hearing to a deaf person.
conductive hearing loss: Hearing
loss caused by a blockage in the middle ear that
prevents sound waves from passing through to
the inner ear.
decibel: A unit of measurement
for the loudness of a sound, with the highest
decibels indicating the loudest sounds.
ear canal: An inch-long passage
leading from the outer ear to the eardrum.
eardrum: A drum-tight membrane
between the ear canal and the middle ear. As
it vibrates, it transfers sound waves to the
bones in the middle ear.
earwax: A substance secreted
by the sebaceous glands in the ear that helps
clean the ear canal, keeps dirt out of the ear,
and lubricates the skin in the ear.
frequency: The pitch of a sound
measured by the speed at which sound waves vibrate.
gain: A hearing aid’s
power, measured in the number of decibels that
it can add to sound.
hair cells: Sensory cells in
the inner ear.
hearing aid: An electronic
device that amplifies sound in the ear, allowing
a person to hear better.
hertz: The measurement of a
sound’s frequency, expressed in cycles
per second.
inner ear: The deepest part
of the ear, consisting of the cochlea and the
labyrinth.
labyrinth: The inner ear structure
that contains the balance organs.
mastoid bone: The bone in the
skull behind the ear.
Ménière’s disease: An
illness caused by a fluid imbalance in the inner
ear. Symptoms include dizziness, tinnitus, and
periodic hearing loss.
middle ear: The space between
the outer ear and the inner ear that contains
the three ossicles, or bones, involved in hearing.
ossicles: The malleus, incus,
and stapes — the three bones in the middle
ear that move in response to sound vibrations.
otic capsule: The bone that
surrounds the labyrinth of the inner ear.
otitis externa: A bacterial
or fungal infection of the skin lining the ear
canal of the outer ear. It’s most common
during the summer and in hot, humid climates.
Also called swimmer’s ear.
otitis media: An infection
of the middle ear, which can be acute or chronic.
otosclerosis: Abnormal bony
growth that keeps one of the three tiny bones
in the middle ear from moving, thereby preventing
sound waves from passing through the ear.
outer ear: The external part
of the ear, or auricle, as well as the ear canal
and the eardrum.
presbycusis: Age-related hearing
loss, typically occurring in people over age
40.
Rinne test: A simple hearing
test that uses a tuning fork to determine what
type of hearing loss a person has.
sensorineural hearing loss: Permanent
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea,
hair cells, or auditory nerve.
TDD: Telecommunications device
for the deaf. Machinery that allows a hearing-impaired
person to send and receive typed messages over
the telephone.
tinnitus: A ringing in the
ears or some other sound that has no external
cause.
tympanic membrane: The eardrum.
tympanometry: A diagnostic
test involving a probe that sends sound waves
to the eardrum to help determine if the person’s
hearing loss is due to a problem in the middle
ear. Also known as impedance testing.
vestibular system: The balance
organs, located in the labyrinth in the inner
ear.
Weber test: A hearing test that
uses a tuning fork to diagnose one-sided hearing
loss.
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