Abstract
Abstract Background Patients are frequently referred to ENT emergency services with sudden hearing loss. Differentiating sensorineural from conductive losses is paramount in establishing the urgency of review and when to commence urgent steroid therapy. Tuning fork tests are useful for this, but they are not always readily available in primary care or the emergency room. Aim To identify and evaluate an alternative method to Weber's test for differentiating conductive from sensorineural hearing loss. Method A pilot prospective diagnostic accuracy study was designed to include 10 individuals with unilateral conductive and 10 with asymmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. Each individual was subjected to a pure tone audiogram (PTA), Weber's test and the new index test. Results The new index test showed 100% correlation (r=1) with Weber's test and 90% sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy when compared to Weber's test for diagnosing conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Conclusion This new test may be used as an alternative to Weber's test when a tuning fork is not available. It might even replace the need for Weber's test when PTA testing is readily available. This test could be used to triage referrals and differentiate conductive from sensorineural hearing loss. Conflicts There are no conflicts to declare.
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