If you usually follow this blog, you’ll have noticed that we pay special attention to hearing health in all its aspects. This means that we don’t just talk about pathologies that can affect your hearing, but also about how your ears work or the tests carried out to check your hearing health, as in the case of a complete hearing test.

Today we will talk about one of these tests called impedancemetry, which focuses on the middle ear. This test has a very revealing name, since it does actually measure the resistance generated in the different components of the middle ear, and especially in the eardrum, as a result of a sound stimulus.

An impedancemetry consists of two parts: tympanography and stapedial reflex.

Tympanometry

This first "stage" is quite simple. After the specialist has checked that there is no obstruction in the ear canal that would prevent the test from being performed properly, he or she will place a device in the patient's ear with the function to change the air pressure within it and cause the eardrum to move sideways. This is a completely painless otolaryngological test and serves to assess the behaviour of this sound wave along the middle ear. 

Stapedial Reflex

The second part of impedance measurement is the stapedial reflex. It basically consists of a loud sound that causes a contraction in the stirrup muscle. This will cause the ossicular chain impedance to increase due to decreased mobility. This reflex is recorded and then studied to have an orientative idea of the patient's hearing level.

Pediatric Impedancemetry

This test is not an invasive one, it does not require any action or participation on the patient’s part, and is performed in the span of one minute or less. With these features, it is a test that can be easily performed on children, even newborns.

Here at Claso we strongly recommend that you take care of your hearing health at all times, and that you know all the different tests and procedures created to find out potential illnesses you might (or might not) have, and how to improve that situation if necessary. If in spite of all this information you still have doubts, contact us without hesitation!