An audiometry exam tests your ability to hear sounds. Sounds vary, based on their loudness (intensity) and the speed of sound wave vibrations (tone).
Hearing occurs when sound waves stimulate the nerves of the inner ear. The sound then travels along nerve pathways to the brain.
Sound waves can travel to the inner ear through the ear canal, eardrum, and bones of the middle ear (air conduction). They can also pass through the bones around and behind the ear (bone conduction).
Diagnostic ultrasound, also called sonography or diagnostic medical sonography, is an imaging method that uses sound waves to produce images of structures within your body. The images can provide valuable information for diagnosing and directing treatment for a variety of diseases and conditions.
Most ultrasound examinations are done using an ultrasound device outside your body, though some involve placing a small device inside your body.
Medical tests can help detect a condition, determine a diagnosis, plan treatment, check to see if treatment is working, or monitor the condition over time. A doctor may order these tests as part of a routine checkup, to check for certain diseases and disorders, or to monitor your health.
An x-ray examination uses an electrical device to emit (put out) x-rays and digital technology to create two-dimensional pictures of internal body structures.
This test is particularly useful in diagnosing conditions or diseases that affect the bones and chest.
A conventional x-ray examination is non-invasive, painless and does not require any recovery time.
The dose of radiation from an x-ray examination is considered safe ? roughly the same as you would receive from the general environment in about one week.