Rinne test

The Rinne test is a test of Oto- Rhino-Laryngology for the testing of hearing, in particular serves the Rinne test to distinguish between sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss in one ear. He is, together with the Weber test, a standard test for the investigation of hearing loss.

The test is named after Heinrich Adolf gutter (1819-1868), who described it in 1855.

In the Rinne test, a tuning fork is made ​​to vibrate and the patient first with the Stimmgabelfuß on the spinous process behind the pinna ( " mastoid ", lat mastoid process ) attached. Once the patient is a sign, not to hear the tuning fork, this is held immediately prior to his ear. If the patient can still hear the tuning fork now, the Rinne test is positive; he does not hear it, the test is negative.

The Rinne test makes use of the physiological properties of the ear advantage: In normal hearing, sound is because of the amplifier characteristics of the auditory ossicles and tympanic membrane air line perceive louder than bone conduction. A tuning fork is therefore decaying via air line longer than heard via bone conduction, so it can still be heard in the ear canal after it is no longer heard on the mastoid.

If the Rinne test is negative, this is an indication of a conductive hearing loss, ie a disturbance in the outer or middle ear area. If the Rinne test is positive, there is no conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss is therefore not excluded.

If the patient credible indicating perceive absolutely no Stimmgabelton, there must be a distinct sensorineural hearing loss in both ears.

For further tuning fork tests see also: Bing test, Gellé test, Weber Test.

Original Description

• Channel A. Contributions to the physiology of the human ear. Quarterly magazine for the Practical Medicine, published by the medical faculty in Prague. Halla J. and Hanser JV. editors, Volume 45, 1855, Karl Andre publishers, Prague.