Rinne Test

Hold about three inches away from the ear, then press the fork firmly on the mastoid process behind the ear.

In a normal ear, the patient should hear the tuning fork louder in front (air conduction) and quieter behind (bone conduction). This is called a Positive Rinne test (AC > BC). If the patient has a conductive hearing loss (usually of around 20dB or greater) then they will hear the bone conduction (behind the ear) louder than the air conduction and this is called a Negative Rinne (BC > AC) test.

If a patient has a non-hearing ear on one side ('dead' ear), then they may still hear the bone conduction louder, because the sound will be transmitted around the skull and heard by the other cochlea. This is called a False Negative Rinne test.

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