Hearing Tests

All Types of Hearing Tests in Central Massachusetts

Hearing loss doesn’t have to keep you from enjoying life. Experts at the UMass Memorial Health Audiology Program perform all types of diagnostic hearing tests. Our caring team of hearing specialists (audiologists) diagnoses the type and cause of hearing loss. We use this accurate diagnosis to select the best treatment to help you hear better.

Types of Hearing Tests We Offer

Depending on your age and symptoms, you may get one or more of these hearing tests:

• Acoustic reflex test to evaluate how your middle ear responds to sounds
• Bone conduction test to detect inner ear problems 
• Pure-tone audiometry test to measure your ability to hear high and low sounds at different pitches (frequency)
• Speech discrimination tests to check your ability to hear and repeat spoken words
• Tympanometry to detect middle ear problems that affect hearing, such as an eardrum rupture
• Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test to assess inner ear functions in infants and children

Specialized Diagnostic Hearing Tests We Offer

You also have access to specialized hearing tests at our Diagnostic Audiology Program. These tests include:

• Auditory evoked potentials studies include auditory brainstem response (ABR) test and auditory steady-state response (ASSR) test to see how the brain and auditory (hearing) nerve respond to sounds while you’re asleep or sedated.
• Auditory processing evaluation assesses a child’s ability to hear and listen while exposed to background noise. This test helps diagnose central auditory processing disorder (CAPD).
• Electrocochleography (ECoG) test evaluates electrical activity in the inner ear and diagnoses Ménière disease (a balance disorder).
• Electronystagmography and videonystagmography (ENG-VNG) test evaluates eye movements that contribute to inner ear disorders, including vestibular balance disorders, vertigo and tinnitus.
• Newborn hearing tests detect hearing loss in babies that’s present at birth.
• Vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) test diagnoses balance disorders.