HEARING
Hearing assessment is a valuable addition to our ENT services and forms an important part of AHBC’s complete care plan. A complete Audiological service is available to all patients, from newborn to adult. Many patients will receive at least a full hearing assessment which includes a comprehensive examination of the outer ear, evaluation of middle ear function and assessment of inner ear health/ hearing ability. Additional services are available for complex cases of hearing loss and ear disease.
Common conditions we may encounter include; hearing loss caused by nerve damage, infection or middle ear disease, neural abnormalities, benign tumours or growths in the ear, Meniere’s Disease, ear drum perforation, Otosclerosis, chemical or drug induced damage, autoimmune disease, syndromes and illnesses.
List of Services:
* Tympanometry – middle ear function analysis
* Swim Moulds – to prevent water entering the ears during swimming, bathing and diving
* Eustachian Tube Dysfunction – for patients who have difficulty equalising the middle ear
* Acoustic Reflex Evaluation – an addition to tympanometry, evaluates nerve function
* Pure Tone Audiometry – subjective hearing assessment to evaluate hearing ability using simple sounds
* Speech Testing – an assessment of how complex sound can be heard by the patient
* Aided Speech Testing – an assessment of how speech is heard with hearing aids or a cochlear implant
* Full Audiological Assessment – tympanometry, pure tone audiometry and speech testing
* Evaluation for Hearing Aid/ Implant – a full assessment, with additional comprehensive speech testing
* Behavioural Observation Audiometry – hearing test for newborns using toys and speech sounds
* Visual Reinforcement Observation Audiometry – hearing test for children with simples sounds and toys
* Play Audiometry – a test for children between 3 and 5 years of age, similar to adult test yet with a game
* Speech Reception Testing – a speech test for young children to gauge their understanding of speech
* Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) – evaluation of hearing for people unable to respond to other tests
* Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) – an objective evaluation of ear function, not hearing ability
* Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) – similar to ABR, useful for when considering hearing aids in children.
BALANCE
Our Balance Assessment tests are available to most patients, though generally it is a service required by patients greater than 12 years of age.
Patients who experience dizziness may describe it as a floating, light-headed sensation; others are unable to walk in a straight line, and some experience a spinning sensation (or vertigo). Some patients know exactly when and how their symptoms began, how to prevent the symptoms from worsening, and how to make it stop- though many patients are unable to explain what is happening to them.
Commonly our patients will report their balance problem as being one of the most disrupting and problematic health conditions they have experienced. Many have already spent large amounts of time and money without receiving a diagnosis and thus, they haven’t found the right treatment yet.
We have a balance assessment program that fulfills the patients’ requirements and thorough.
AHBC is the only center in the region that combines ENT services, and complete hearing and balance assessment in one location.
And through this complete care plan model, we provide our patient with the best possible chance of the finding the answers.
List of Services
Our list of services includes tests that, on the surface, seem to be evaluating a patient’s vision and eye movements. This is because the balance system forms a complex series of connections within the brain, or central nervous system. A very strong connection exists between the visual and vestibular (balance) systems, called the Vestibulocular Reflex (or VOR). Evaluating the state and effectiveness of the VOR is therefore a very important part of understanding how our patient is affected;
* ENG/ VNG Oculography – a series of tests used to challenge the visual and balance system
* Caloric Test of Labyrinth – the gold standard in balance function testing
* Positional Testing – establishes whether dizziness is influenced by head or body position
* Rotary Chair Study – world class equipment used to rotate the patient slowly, and measure dizziness
* Subjective Vertical Test – evaluates whether a patient is able to judge if a line is straight
* Dynamic Visual Acuity Test –the patient reads the letters on a simple eye chart whilst moving their head
* Posturography Platform Study – evaluates the ability to use the eyes, ears and posture to balance
* Full Vestibular Assessment – a standard test combination or Oculography and the Caloric Test
* Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) – measures sound sensitivity of the balance system
* Evoked Eye Movements – a test designed to measure sound sensitivity through eye movement
* Electrocochleography (ECOCHG) – a test that measures the hearing organs response to sound
* Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy – for patients who need assistance readjusting their balance ability
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