Question

What do you expect to find on Weber and Rinne tests in sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL)?

Answer

Both of these tests are easy bedside maneuvers to perform in the early evaluation of hearing loss and only require a 256 Hz tuning fork.  The main thing to remember is that in the Rinne test, air conduction is supposed to be greater than bone conduction….but because the problem with SSNHL is the conversion of sound waves to neural impulses, AC will still be greater than BC because the sound waves can still travel through the canal uninhibited.  So AC>BC can be both normal and abnormal, which is why it always done in tandem with the Weber to help figure out which side is affected.