Which instrument is used to examine the external ear?

Which instrument is used to examine the external ear?

• A. Otoscope
• B. Audiometer
• C. Tympanometer
• D. Acoustic reflectometer

Answer: (A)

Visual inspection of the external ear relies on an instrument that lets you look into the ear canal and at the eardrum. The otoscope provides light, magnification, and a cone-shaped speculum so you can see the canal walls and the tympanic membrane directly. This direct visualization is what it's designed for, distinguishing it from tools used for functional testing. An audiometer measures hearing thresholds with headphones or a bone oscillator, not for looking inside the ear. A tympanometer checks middle-ear function by changing air pressure and measuring membrane movement, not for external visualization. An acoustic reflectometer assesses reflex responses to sound, also not for visual inspection. So the instrument used to examine the external ear is the otoscope.

Visual inspection of the external ear relies on an instrument that lets you look into the ear canal and at the eardrum. The otoscope provides light, magnification, and a cone-shaped speculum so you can see the canal walls and the tympanic membrane directly. This direct visualization is what it's designed for, distinguishing it from tools used for functional testing. An audiometer measures hearing thresholds with headphones or a bone oscillator, not for looking inside the ear. A tympanometer checks middle-ear function by changing air pressure and measuring membrane movement, not for external visualization. An acoustic reflectometer assesses reflex responses to sound, also not for visual inspection. So the instrument used to examine the external ear is the otoscope.