Audiologists in San Francisco, CA
Our audiologists specialize in the study, diagnosis and treatment of hearing and balance disorders. They provide a full range of diagnostic and rehabilitation services for both pediatric and adult populations. In addition, our audiologists work closely with our ENT physicians to offer a broader range of treatments and diagnostic support than stand-alone audiology providers.
Diagnostic services:
- Conventional pure tone audiometry: measures hearing threshold levels to determine type and degree of hearing loss, if present.
- Pediatric audiometry: uses visual reinforcement (such as videos or puppets) and / or toys to help determine the softest level a child can detect sounds, across a broad pitch range. This type of testing is appropriate for infants 6 months of age through approximately 36 months of age.
- Speech audiometry: determines a patient’s ability to discern and process speech in a quiet listening environment.
- Tympanometry: assesses function of the middle ear system to check for the presence of problems specific to the middle ear space and middle ear bones.
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE): measures an echo response from a patient’s inner ear (the cochlea) to determine how well the sensory cells of the inner ear are functioning. Otoacoustic emissions are also used in screening newborn infants for hearing loss.
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR): measures synchronous firing of neurons along the hearing pathway from a patient’s ear to the brain. An ABR is extremely useful in estimating hearing sensitivity in newborns, infants (under 6 months of age), and other patient populations that cannot be tested through a traditional method. It is also used to aid in the diagnosis of disorders that may occur along the pathway of the hearing nerve.
- Medical legal / Workers compensation evaluations
Rehabilitative services:
LACE (Listening and Communication Enhancement): LACE is a rehabilitation program that provides exercises to help patients improve their listening abilities, especially in the presence of background noise. LACE can help patients acquire skills and strategies to deal with these less than ideal listening conditions. It can be used in conjunction with hearing aid use or without.
- Noise plug / Musician plug fittings
- Hearing Aid evaluations and fittings
- Assistive listening devices
- Pediatric Services
More than 4,000 babies are born with hearing loss each year. San Francisco Audiology specializes in diagnostic tests and rehabilitation services for newborns. For infants with hearing loss, we recommend:
- screening before 1 month of age
- diagnosis of hearing loss by 3 months
- fit with hearing aids and enrolled in an Early Intervention program by 6 months.
Otoacoustic emissions testing (OAE) is used to screen newborns for hearing loss.
Auditory brainstem response (ABR) is extremely useful in estimating hearing sensitivity in newborns. ABR:
- is non-invasive
- can be administered while the infant is sleeping
- offers a purely objective measure of hearing
- accurately estimates threshold levels