Question

A patient presented with complaints of hearing loss, and the otoscopy finding shown. What will be the Rinne test finding?

• A. True positive
• B. True negative
• C. False positive
• D. False negative

Hint:

The Rinne test is used to differentiate between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. A true negative result is seen in individuals with normal hearing.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The Rinne test is a hearing test used to compare the conduction of sound through air versus bone. In this test, a tuning fork is struck and placed on the mastoid bone behind the ear until the patient can no longer hear the sound. It is then quickly moved to the ear canal to determine whether the sound can be heard again. The outcomes of the test can indicate either conductive hearing loss or sensorineural hearing loss.

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound waves have difficulty traveling through the outer or middle ear, while sensorineural hearing loss involves damage to the inner ear or neural pathways.

When the otoscopic findings reveal signs indicative of conductive hearing loss (e.g., obstruction, otitis media), the Rinne test is interpreted as follows:

• Normal Hearing or Sensorineural Loss: Air conduction (AC) is better than bone conduction (BC), denoted as Rinne positive.
• Conductive Hearing Loss: Bone conduction (BC) is better than air conduction (AC), resulting in Rinne negative.

Given that the case likely describes conductive hearing loss, the expected Rinne test result will be bone conduction perceived as louder than air conduction on the affected side. This result corresponds to a True negative, indicating correctly diagnosed conductive hearing loss via the Rinne test.