A 40-year-old man has a right-sided conductive hearing loss from otosclerosis. On performing the Weber test with a 512 Hz tuning fork placed on the vertex, the sound will be heard:
- A Louder in the left ear
- B Louder in the right ear ✓
- C Equally in both ears
- D Not heard at all
Correct answer: B. Louder in the right ear
Explanation
In unilateral conductive hearing loss, Weber lateralizes to the diseased ear. The occluded middle ear prevents dissipation of sound energy from the skull, so bone-conducted sound is perceived louder on the side of blockage. In sensorineural loss it lateralizes to the better ear, which kills distractor A. Equal perception occurs only with normal hearing or symmetric bilateral loss.
Reference: Dhingra's Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat, 8th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.