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Improved understanding in everyday living situations is very important today, as we strive to communicate with family and friends in a wide range of listening conditions. More people are realizing how much being able to hear better means to them. University Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates division of audiology offers a wide range of hearing health care services to individuals of all ages. Our staff of seven highly qualified audiologists can provide you with state-of –the art hearing and balance services.
Audiologists
Stephanie Lockhart, MA
Director of Audiology
Shon Chaffee, MS
Sharon Hepfner, MA
Lisa Houston, AuD
Keryn Maionchi, AuD
Audiology Services
1. ABR – Auditory Brainstem Response
The Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is an objective test which is used to identify neurological abnormalities of the auditory nerve and auditory pathway to the brainstem or to estimate hearing sensitivity.
Electrodes are placed on your forehead and behind your ears, earphones are placed in your ears and you will hear a click stimulus. You will not respond to the click but will sit in a recliner and lay as relaxed as possible with your eyes closed throughout the test.
The electrodes will measure the electrical activity from the auditory pathway and the responses are analyzed by a computer, resulting in a waveform. The different peaks on the waveform provide information on the time it takes various structures of the auditory pathway to respond to the stimulus. This information can help in identifying acoustic neuromas or to estimate hearing sensitivity.
2. ECoG – Electrocochleography
The electrocochleography (ECoG) test is an objective measure of the electrical potentials generated in the inner ear as a result of sound stimulation.
Electrodes are placed on your forehead and in your ear canal. An earphone is placed in your ear canal along with the electrode and you will hear a click stimulus. You will not respond to the click but will sit in a recliner and lay as relaxed as possible with your eyes closed throughout the test.
The responses from the ear are analyzed by a computer and a waveform is generated. The amplitude ratio of the different peaks provides information which will help determine if the cochlea (inner ear) has an excessive amount of fluid pressure. Excessive fluid pressure can cause a feeling of aural fullness (ear pressure), dizziness, tinnitus (noises in the ear), and/or hearing loss. These symptoms may be due to certain inner ear pathologies such as Meniere’s disease or endolymphatic hydrops.
3. ENoG – Electroneuronography
Electroneuronography (ENoG) is used to test the integrity of the facial nerve.
Electrodes are placed in the nasolabial fold (base of the nose to the corner of the mouth) and on the neck or forehead. A stimulus probe is placed directly over the facial nerve anywhere from the stylomastoid foramen (base of the ear) to the zygomatic arch (cheekbone). Several locations are typically sampled in order to find the largest possible response. You will feel a tingling or snapping sensation and the stimulus may cause your face to twitch.
Typically testing is performed for the first time about 72 hours after the onset of the facial paralysis and again at 3 to 5 day intervals until a trend and confirmation is obtained.
The response of the normal side is compared to the response of the abnormal side in order to help determine whether surgical intervention is recommended and to determine the probable prognosis for facial nerve function recovery.
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