Definition
Hearing loss caused by a lesion in the ear canal
(external auditory canal) or middle ear is
conductive; hearing loss caused by a lesion in
the inner ear or 8th nerve is sensori- neural.
Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss can
be differentiated by comparing the threshold of
hearing by air conduction with that by bone
conduction.
Sensorineural hearing loss can be further differentiated as
sensory (cochlea) or neural (8th
nerve). This distinction is important because neural hearing loss
is often caused by potentially
curable tumors
