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In
order to fully understand pure tone audiometry, we must first address
the means by which we will describe a patient's pure tone threshold. As
stated previously, the pure tone threshold is defined as the lowest level
at which an individual can hear a pure tone 50% of the time. If it was
suggested that my patient could hear a 30 dB signal without being able
to hear a 25 dB signal we would conclude that the patient's threshold
was 30 dB. What wasn't indicated in this example, however, was the specific
units of measurement used to describe this threshold level. The example
reported the threshold in terms of a decibel (i.e. dB) level and we will,
indeed, use decibels to measure and report pure tone thresholds. However,
we will not be using the sound pressure level, or SPL, scale you have
discussed last term.
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