Ear and audiology: strial presbycusis: practice question

A ENT question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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ENT · Ear and audiology: strial presbycusis

Sample item

An 80-year-old has gradual symmetrical hearing loss. The audiogram is flat across all frequencies, speech discrimination is good, and his mother had a similar loss. Which Schuknecht type of presbycusis does this suggest?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Strial (metabolic) presbycusis

Strial presbycusis, from atrophy of the stria vascularis, produces a flat audiogram with good speech discrimination and often runs in families. Sensory type gives a steep high-frequency drop, neural type gives disproportionately poor discrimination, and cochlear conductive gives a descending straight line.

Option by option

  • A. Strial (metabolic) presbycusis (correct)

    Correct. Atrophy of the stria vascularis gives a flat threshold curve with preserved discrimination.

  • B. Sensory presbycusis

    Sensory presbycusis loses outer hair cells at the base and gives an abrupt high-frequency fall.

  • C. Neural presbycusis

    Neural presbycusis loses spiral ganglion cells and causes speech discrimination much worse than the audiogram predicts.

  • D. Cochlear conductive presbycusis

    Cochlear conductive presbycusis, from basilar membrane stiffness, gives a gradually descending straight-line audiogram.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this ENT question

What is the answer to this ENT question?

The best answer is A, Strial (metabolic) presbycusis. Strial presbycusis, from atrophy of the stria vascularis, produces a flat audiogram with good speech discrimination and often runs in families.

Why is "Sensory presbycusis" not the answer?

Sensory presbycusis loses outer hair cells at the base and gives an abrupt high-frequency fall.

Why is "Neural presbycusis" not the answer?

Neural presbycusis loses spiral ganglion cells and causes speech discrimination much worse than the audiogram predicts.

Why is "Cochlear conductive presbycusis" not the answer?

Cochlear conductive presbycusis, from basilar membrane stiffness, gives a gradually descending straight-line audiogram.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Ear and audiology: strial presbycusis in ENT. Sensory type gives a steep high-frequency drop, neural type gives disproportionately poor discrimination, and cochlear conductive gives a descending straight line.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Ear and audiology: strial presbycusis?

Learn tuning fork results and audiogram patterns by sketching them. Then use the flashcards and the other ENT questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.