Key Takeaways:

• Tympanometry is a quick way to assess the middle ear and determine whether the eardrum and middle ear bones are responding normally to changes in pressure.
• This test is often part of a work-up for complaints of ear fullness, ear pain, ear infections, or other suspected ear conditions.
• In combination with a comprehensive audiogram, an audiologist can diagnose the type of hearing loss and make approach referrals (i.e., to an ENT who may recommend treatment with medication, surgery, or other options).

If you've ever gone to the ear doctor because of a muffled feeling in your ear or if you had a history of ear infections, you've probably been through a tympanometry test.

This test measures the health of your eardrum and middle ear space – but how does it actually work?

What is tympanometry?

Tympanometry is a test that is used to assess your middle ear function. It is quick, painless, and noninvasive.

This test is often used to diagnose problems with the eardrum or middle ear such as fluid in the middle ear, perforation of the eardrum, or other middle ear problems. 

The test works by measuring how well your eardrum moves in response to changes in air pressure.

A small probe is placed into your ear canal, and your eardrum's response to air pressure changes is measured.

The test itself is very brief, lasting only seconds. It feels a little like going up in an elevator, and you'll hear a humming sound while it runs. The results of the test can help your doctor determine if there is a problem with your eardrum or middle ear.

The eardrum is made of three layers, with each of these contributing to how we hear sound in our environment.

As sound is funneled into the ear, motion from sound waves in the air causes the eardrum to move.

Movement from the eardrum then triggers the bones in the ear, called ossicles, to move in a chain reaction.

The movement of those bones then transforms into hydraulic energy as the stapes bone pushes on a membrane connected to the fluid-filled inner ear.

Isn't it amazing that movement from air particles moves the eardrum, and we perceive that movement as sound?

A healthy middle ear space is filled with air, allowing for the eardrum and ear bones to move easily.

If you have fluid in your ear or other middle ear problems, it can make it hard for you to hear because it prevents the eardrum from moving normally.

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