Conductive hearing loss involves which part of the auditory system?

Conductive hearing loss involves which part of the auditory system?

• A. Outer or middle ear
• B. Inner ear
• C. Auditory nerve
• D. Brainstem

Answer: (A)

Sound must travel through the outer ear and middle ear to reach the inner ear, where the sensory cells convert vibrations into nerve signals. Conductive hearing loss happens when this transmission is blocked or dampened in the outer ear (pinna, ear canal, tympanic membrane) or the middle ear (ossicles, middle-ear space). Common causes include wax blockage, fluid or infection in the middle ear, a perforated eardrum, or stiffening of the ossicles (otosclerosis). Since the inner ear and the auditory nerve are functioning, bone-conduction hearing can remain relatively normal, and testing often shows an air-bone gap. If the problem were in the inner ear or beyond, both air and bone conduction would be affected more similarly, indicating sensorineural involvement.

Sound must travel through the outer ear and middle ear to reach the inner ear, where the sensory cells convert vibrations into nerve signals. Conductive hearing loss happens when this transmission is blocked or dampened in the outer ear (pinna, ear canal, tympanic membrane) or the middle ear (ossicles, middle-ear space). Common causes include wax blockage, fluid or infection in the middle ear, a perforated eardrum, or stiffening of the ossicles (otosclerosis). Since the inner ear and the auditory nerve are functioning, bone-conduction hearing can remain relatively normal, and testing often shows an air-bone gap. If the problem were in the inner ear or beyond, both air and bone conduction would be affected more similarly, indicating sensorineural involvement.