Tympanometry Test — Checking Your Middle Ear Health
Tympanometry is a quick, safe, and painless test used to measure how well your middle ear is functioning. It helps identify blockages, infections, fluid build-up, or eardrum issues that may be affecting your hearing.
What Is Tympanometry?
Tympanometry evaluates how your eardrum responds to slight air pressure changes. By measuring the movement of the eardrum, the test helps determine if the middle ear system is healthy or if there’s fluid, infection, or other issues interfering with sound transmission.
Why Tympanometry Matters
Your middle ear plays a key role in hearing — even minor problems can lead to muffled sound or discomfort. Tympanometry helps your audiologist:
- Detect fluid behind the eardrum
- Identify Eustachian tube dysfunction
- Check for eardrum perforations
- Assess conductive hearing loss
- Evaluate grommet or ventilation tube function
What to Expect During the Test
The entire procedure takes just a few minutes and requires no special preparation:
- A soft probe is gently placed in your ear.
- The device creates mild air pressure changes and emits a series of tones.
- You might feel a slight “fullness” in your ear — but it’s completely painless.
- The machine records how your eardrum moves, displayed as a tympanogram.
- Your audiologist reviews the data and discusses the results with you.
Our Audiologist will interpret your tympanogram and explain what it means for your hearing.
If issues are found, they’ll discuss next steps — such as medical treatment, further testing, or hearing aid adjustments — to ensure your ears stay healthy and sound travels as it should.