2024 Volume 34 Issue 3 Pages 151-157
Even in cases in which conductive hearing loss is not actively suspected, air-bone gaps may occur daily and must be examined and interpreted correctly. Herein, we report the results of a study investigating the air-bone gap in audiograms of 870 ears with type A tympanograms and air-conduction thresholds within 25 decibels (dB). The overall rate of air-bone gaps within ±5 dB was 85.2%. The distribution by frequency was as follows: 83.2% at 250 Hertz (Hz), 84.7% at 500 Hz, 85.6% at 1000 Hz, 89.5% at 2000 Hz, 93.6% at 3000 Hz, and 74.7% at 4000 Hz. The air-bone gap often occurred in the bass range between 250 and 500 Hz, as well as at 4000 Hz. The average value of the air-bone gap significantly differed in relation to frequency, with the largest value being 5.23 dB at 4000 Hz and the smallest being 3.10 dB at 3000 Hz. Conversely, no correlation between the air-bone gap and age was observed in this study. In conclusion, the air-bone gap must be examined and interpreted correctly in daily clinical practice.
