The Stenger test is used to detect nonorganic hearing loss in patients with asymmetric thresholds.

The Stenger test is used to detect nonorganic hearing loss in patients with asymmetric thresholds.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only for conductive loss
• D. Only for central processing

Answer: (A)

The Stenger test hinges on the idea that when a pure-tone signal of the same frequency is presented to both ears at once, the auditory system tends to respond if either ear hears it. It’s especially useful when there’s asymmetric thresholds between ears. The exam uses a setup where the same tone is delivered dichotically (to both ears) at levels chosen so that, in a person with a true unilateral loss, the poorer ear would be unable to hear it while the better ear could. If the person truly has a loss in one ear, their responses will align with what the better ear perceives, leading to responses that reveal the inconsistency expected with nonorganic hearing loss. If the patient has genuine asymmetric loss, the results will be consistent with that loss; if they have nonorganic loss, the responses will not fit the expected pattern, flagging the discrepancy. So the statement is correct because the Stenger test is specifically designed to detect nonorganic (malingering or exaggerated) unilateral hearing loss when there is a difference between ears. It isn’t limited to conductive loss or to central processing, and its utility depends on asymmetric thresholds.

The Stenger test hinges on the idea that when a pure-tone signal of the same frequency is presented to both ears at once, the auditory system tends to respond if either ear hears it. It’s especially useful when there’s asymmetric thresholds between ears. The exam uses a setup where the same tone is delivered dichotically (to both ears) at levels chosen so that, in a person with a true unilateral loss, the poorer ear would be unable to hear it while the better ear could. If the person truly has a loss in one ear, their responses will align with what the better ear perceives, leading to responses that reveal the inconsistency expected with nonorganic hearing loss. If the patient has genuine asymmetric loss, the results will be consistent with that loss; if they have nonorganic loss, the responses will not fit the expected pattern, flagging the discrepancy.

So the statement is correct because the Stenger test is specifically designed to detect nonorganic (malingering or exaggerated) unilateral hearing loss when there is a difference between ears. It isn’t limited to conductive loss or to central processing, and its utility depends on asymmetric thresholds.