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• Otolaryngology - ENT
  • Common ENT Terms
  • Ear Related Terms
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  • Sample Reports - Otolaryngology - ENT

• Ear Related Terms

- P -

• Pediatric Threshold ABR

This test provides objective information about the upper auditory system including the inner ear and brainstem without patient participation. This is a simple and non-invasive test on part of the patient. Electrodes are placed on the ears and head while a click stimulus is presented through soft foam earplugs. This test records the brainwave response to the stimulus. This test is usually completed under sedation, in conjunction with, and under the direction of, the pediatric sedation team, for children older than four months old. By presenting a click stimulus first at a loud intensity level, then at softer and softer levels until the waveform disappears, encompasses testing. The softest level is regarded as the threshold level the auditory system can detect sound. This test is performed when other behavioral tests are not successful, and may be a part of a larger test battery ordered by the otolaryngologist. The ABR may be helpful in determining if a child has a hearing loss and what type of hearing loss it is (sensorineural loss, conductive loss, mixed loss). If the child needs to be fit with amplification, this test can assist the audiologist in fitting the child appropriately.



• Perforated Eardrum

Hole occurring in the eardrum



• Perilymph

A fluid, nearly identical to spinal fluid that fills the cochlea.



• perilymph Fistula

The leakage of inner ear fluid into the middle ear. It is associated with head trauma, physical exertion, or exposure to severe pressure, but it can also occur without apparent cause.



• Phonemes

The basic sound elements of a spoken language.



• Pink Noise

Random noise with energy distributed equally over the audio frequency range such that there is an equal sound pressure level in each octave band.



• Pinna

The outer ear, which is composed of skin and cartilage. The pinna focuses sound waves into the middle and inner ears. Having two pinnae helps animals determine the location of a sound. In some animals, the pinna serves additional functions, such as heat dissipation.



• Pitch

The perception of a sound based on its frequency.



• Polychondritis

A serious, progressive, episodic condition characterized by inflammation and degeneration of cartilage in the body. The duration and severity of the episodes can vary.



• Presbycusis

Type of sensory neural hearing loss due to aging.



• Presbycusis

Progressive deterioration of hearing ability that affects both ears and occurs with aging. The hearing loss is sensorineural in nature and is most noticeable at high frequencies. There are a number of risk factors associated with age-related hearing impairment: smoking, ototoxic medication, cardiovascular disease and exposure to loud noise. It is estimated that a third of people over the age of 60 have some hearing loss and more than half of people over the age of 75 years have hearing loss.



• Presbycusis

Hearing loss related to age.



• PTs

Permanent Threshold Shift refers to a permanent change in hearing thresholds due to noise exposure.



• Pure Tone

A sound wave consisting of energy at only one single frequency.