Toll Free: 877-775-9398
Audiology and Hearing Aid Services
ASC HEARING CLINIC specializes in advanced diagnostic testing and rehabilitation for individuals with impairments in hearing, balance, auditory processing/discrimination difficulties and communication related disorders. Services are provided to ALL AGES - NEWBORN THROUGH ADULT.
All diagnostic testing is conducted with state of the art and calibrated equipment in soundtreated rooms. These tests include:
- Complete Hearing Evaluations
- Pure Tone Air Conduction
- Pure Tone Bone Conductoin
- Speech and Word Recognition
- Impedance Audiometry
- Middle Ear Assessment
- Video Otoscopy
- Visualization of the Ear Canal and Eardrum
- Hearing Aid Consultations and Sales/Orientation/Fittings
- Speechmapping Verification of Hearing Aid Performance
- Real Ear/Probe Mic Measurements
- Otoacoustic Emission Testing (OAE)
- Inner Ear Assessment
- Auditory Brainstem Response Testing (ABR)
- Eighth Nerve Assessment
- Electronystagmography/Videonystagmography Testing (ENG/VNG)
- Balance (Dizziness) Assessment
- Industrial Hearing Screenings and Analysis
Complete hearing testing can be conducted for any individual at any age.
ASC'S HEARING CLINIC ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:
- Has been established and serving the Northwestern Michigan Community since 1979
- Has worked in coordination with Mercy Hospital Cadillac in establishing a universal newborn hearing screening program
- Obtains annual continuing education to maintain professional association membership and licensing as well as to continue to provide progressive technology for identification and remediation of hearing and balance disorders
- Has established rapport and confidence with area physicians, health care agencies, educators and others to coordinate hearing health care for the individual patient needs
- ASC HEARING CLINIC participates in most major health care programs (Medicare, Medicaid, BCBS Hearing Programs, selected PPOM and Priority Health Products and More) and is also a member of the Mercy Physician Hosptial Organization (PHO)
If you or someone you know has a hearing problem, go to www.hearingcheck.org. and/or www.healthyhearing.com that will assist in determining if a complete hearing evaluation is needed.
ADVANCED TESTING FOR HEARING AND BALANCE DISORDERS
OTOACOUSTIC EMISSION (OAE) TESTING
Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) are sounds originating in the cochlea, specifically from the outer hair cells, that propagate through the middle ear and then into the ear canal where they are measured with a sensitive microphone system. These emissions are an objective measure used to evaluate cochlear function, specifically outer hair cell performance, and they are pre-neural and not influenced by the state of the auditory (eighth) nerve.
The clinical applications for OAE testing include:
· Universal Newborn Hearing Screening
· Assessment of Hearing in Difficult to Test Populations
· Differentiation of Cochlear Versus Retrocochlear Disorders
· Monitoring for subtle cochlear changes from the effects of ototoxicity and noise exposure
OAE testing is a valuable tool in a complete audiology test battery and is often used as part of a newborn screening program and in monitoring for ototoxicity (chemotherapy populations)
AUDITORY BRAINSTEM RESPONSE (ABR)
The Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a neurological test of auditory function that measures the timing of the brainstem's responses to click or tone stimuli, traveling from the outer, middle, and inner ear structures and through and including the brainstem. It is a latency function measurement, represented in a series of five waveforms that are thought to have the following corresponding anatomical generator sites:
Wave I - Distal portion of the eighth nerve
Wave II - Proximal portion of the eight nerve
Wave III - Cochlear nucleus
Wave IV - Superior olivary complex
Wave V - Lateral lemniscus
Its clinical utilization and value include:
- Estimation of hearing threshold (including newborn hearing screening)
- Sensitivity and specificity in detection of tumors (vestibular schwannomas)
- Alternative test in the presence of metal implants
- Provides quantitative information during intraoperative montoring
- Provides objective results for malingering/functional hearing loss cases
ABR is a valuable diagnostic tool in assessing the neural integrity of the auditory system, specifically located in the brainstem.
ELECTRONYSTAGMOGRAPHY/VIDEONYSTAGMOGRAPHY (ENG/VNG)
Electronystagmography/Videonystagmography (ENG/VNG) consists of a battery of tests used to assess the function of the peripheral and central vestibular systems. Electrodes (ENG) or video goggles (VNG) are used to measure the movements of the patient's eyes to detect nystagmus. Nystagmus is the only physical sign uniquely linked to the vestibular system and the ENG/VNG test battery provides a valuable tool in the assessment.
The ENG/VNG test additionally provides permanent, objective recordings, detects subtle abnormalities of reflex eye movements controlled at the brainstem and is the only clincial test that can definitely separate one labyrinth from the contralateral partner.
ENG/VNG clinical utilization includes:
- Evaluation for vestibular dysfucntion including Meniere's disease, vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis
- Evaluation for ocular, proprioceptive, metabolic and musculoskeletal disorders
- Evaluation for CNS disorders and CPA tumors
ENG/VNG testing is an important tool used in the diagnosis and managment of central and peripheral disorders patients who have dizziness and balance problems.