This paper is intended for the practicing otolaryngologist. Its only purpose is to describe in a practical manner some of the methods of office audiology that I use and have found to be helpful and reliable.
A systematic and orderly method of examination is extremely convenient in our effort to arrive at an accurate diagnosis, establish a prognosis, and advise the correct treatment to the deafened and hard of hearing adult. Preschool children with auditory disorders require special techniques, which will not be discussed here. The routine for adults is as follows:
History
Otolaryngological examination
Voice and tuning-fork tests
Pure-tone audiometry
Speech audiometry
Vestibular tests
HISTORY
The history is an essential preliminary approach of the utmost importance, because, even if it is not conclusive by itself, in many cases it will point to the etiology of the hearing loss and be a valuable clue in the diagnosis. For instance, a hearing loss which develops several