Case Study Analysis: Exploring Causes and Treatments of Hearing Loss

This case study examines a patient experiencing unilateral hearing loss, exploring the diagnostic process and potential treatments. The study begins by outlining the appropriate next steps in the patient's auditory evaluation, including the use of acoustic and brainstem tests. The case explores the potential causes of the hearing loss, including the possibility of otitis media and the presence of a tumor. The study also recommends specific actions that could be taken to improve the patient's condition, such as the use of advanced hearing aids and the potential need for a surgical intervention or medical treatment for the underlying cause of the hearing loss. The assignment also includes references to support the findings and recommendations.

Running Head: Audiology 1
Unilateral Hearing Loss – Case Study
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Audiology 2
1) Please briefly describe the tests other than those already performed you would administer.
Acoustic reflex testing or stapedial reflex testing using tympanometry to check how the
involuntary muscle responds to loud stimuli. A normal acoustic reflex threshold (ART) is about 70Db
SPL. In conductive hearing loss ART is higher or missing.1 The auditory brainstem response (ABR)
testing. ABR testing is essential in recording how the child’s brain activity is responding to different
sounds. ABR will help to determine how the cochlea is working or whether his hearing loss is in the
neurons leading to the brain.2
2) What could be the cause of the hearing loss?
Unilateral hearing loss in the child may be due to several problems in the past 10-years of
life. The child has moderate hearing loss and may have difficulties listening to high-pitched sounds.
His poor speech score and difficulties listening in noise can mean that sound transmission from the
outer into the inner ear is poor. Therefore, he may be suffering from conductance hearing loss that
is caused by several factors. Otitis media can cause conductance hearing loss in the child. If the fluid
is present in the otitis canal, the transmission of sound vibrations to the eardrum is hindered. The
other cause may be an unfunctional Eustachian tube due to fluid in the middle ear draining into it.
Benign tumors such an acoustic neuroma grows and develops in the main vestibule thus affecting
the nerves that are responsible for hearing. Complications with the child’s eardrum can also cause
this type of hearing loss.
3) What would you do to improve his performance?
The use of an advanced hearing aid than the one he is currently using, for instance, surgically
implanting a device, or bone-conductance aid may improve his condition. The use of antifungals or
1 Reiss, N. M., & Reiss, G. (2000). Differential diagnosis of unilateral hearing loss. Praxis, 89(6), 241-247.
2 Levit, Y., Mandel, D., & Matot, I. (2018). Frequency-specific auditory brainstem response testing with age-
appropriate sedation. International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology, 108, 73-79.

Audiology 3
antibiotics to treat infections such as otitis media.3 I would recommend the child be taken to a tumor
specialist for a check-up. If present, benign tumors can be surgically removed
3Dewyer, N. A., Kiringoda, R., & McKenna, M. J. (2018). Inner Ear Infections (Labyrinthitis). In Infections of the
Ears, Nose, Throat, and Sinuses (pp. 79-88). Springer, Cham.

Audiology 4
References
Reiss, N. M., & Reiss, G. (2000). Differential diagnosis of unilateral hearing loss. Praxis, 89(6), 241-
247.
Levit, Y., Mandel, D., & Matot, I. (2018). Frequency-specific auditory brainstem response testing with
age-appropriate sedation. International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology, 108, 73-79.
Dewyer, N. A., Kiringoda, R., & McKenna, M. J. (2018). Inner Ear Infections (Labyrinthitis). In
Infections of the Ears, Nose, Throat, and Sinuses (pp. 79-88). Springer, Cham.