tympanogram

tympanogram /tym·pa·no·gram/ (tim´pah-no-gram″) a graphic representation of the relative compliance and impedance of the tympanic membrane and ossicles of the middle ear obtained by tympanometry.

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tympanogram

[timpan′əgram]

a graphic representation of the acoustic impedance and air pressure of the middle ear and the mobility of the tympanic membrane, measured as part of the audiologic test battery. In the normal middle ear the air pressure is the same as the atmospheric pressure, as shown by a peak in the middle of the tympanogram. Various middle ear pathologies such as otitis media, otosclerosis, or tympanic membrane perforations each yield distinctive tympanograms. See also acoustic impedance.

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tympanogram [tim´pan-o-gram″]

1. a graphic representation of the relative compliance and impedance of the tympanic membrane and ossicles of the middle ear obtained by tympanometry.

2. a test using tympanometry to measure how easily the tympanic membrane vibrates back and forth and at what pressure the vibration is easiest. The middle ear is normally filled with air at a pressure equal to that of the surrounding atmosphere. If it is filled with fluid, the membrane will not vibrate properly and the line on the tympanogram will be flat; if it is filled with air but at a higher or lower pressure than the surrounding atmosphere, the line on the graph will be shifted in position. A tympanogram is a quick and easy test; a probe is placed up against the ear canal like an ear plug and the equipment automatically makes the measurements.

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tympanogram

a graphic representation of the relative compliance and impedance of the tympanic membrane and ossicles of the middle ear obtained by tympanometry.