In a patient with left ear hearing loss due to cerumen accumulation, which test is expected to lateralize to the left?

In the context of unilateral hearing loss, such as that caused by cerumen accumulation in the left ear, the Weber test is particularly useful for determining the side of hearing loss. This test involves placing a tuning fork on the midline of the forehead or the top of the head and asking the patient in which ear the sound is heard louder. In cases of conductive hearing loss, such as that resulting from earwax blockage, the sound will lateralize to the affected ear.

In this scenario, since the patient has left ear hearing loss due to cerumen accumulation, the Weber test will lateralize to the left ear. This occurs because the sound is more effectively transmitted through the bone to the affected ear, which perceives the sound as being louder compared to the normal ear. This principle makes the Weber test a valuable tool in diagnosing the type of hearing loss a patient is experiencing.

The other tests mentioned, such as audiometry and tympanometry, are generally used to assess overall hearing function and middle ear function, respectively, but they do not specifically lateralize sound in a manner that indicates the side of the hearing loss like the Weber test does. The Rinne test can help differentiate between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss but does not lateralize in