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MBBS QUESTION #10283
Question 1
In sensorineural hearing loss, the Weber test (tuning fork placed on the midline forehead/vertex) classically lateralizes to which ear, and why?
  • The affected ear, because reduced masking noise makes bone-conducted sound seem louder there
  • The unaffected (normal) ear, because the damaged cochlea or auditory nerve on the affected side cannot perceive the sound as well even via bone conduction✔️
  • It does not lateralize in sensorineural loss under any circumstance
  • Always to the left ear, irrespective of the underlying pathology
Correct Answer Explanation
Unlike conductive loss, in sensorineural hearing loss the problem lies in the cochlea or auditory nerve itself, so bone-conducted sound reaching the damaged ear is perceived as fainter; the Weber test therefore lateralizes to the better (unaffected) ear — the opposite lateralization pattern seen in conductive hearing loss.