If a patient reports better hearing during a Weber test in the right ear, what is the likely diagnosis?

In a Weber test, when a patient reports better hearing in one ear, it typically suggests the presence of a type of hearing loss. If the sound lateralizes to the right ear, it indicates that the right ear is perceived to be hearing better than the left. This can occur in the context of conductive hearing loss in the left ear or sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear.

When hearing is better in the right ear, it suggests that the left ear may have a problem. In cases of conductive hearing loss, sound is conducted through the external and middle ear, which may be more efficient in the ear with the normal hearing. In the case of sensorineural hearing loss, the affected ear will not normally perceive the sound as well as the ear functioning properly.

Thus, if the patient reports better hearing during the Weber test in the right ear, it is most consistent with left side conductive hearing loss rather than sensorineural hearing loss. In sensorineural hearing loss, the sound would lateralize to the poorer hearing ear. Therefore, the patient’s report in this scenario indicates that the left ear may have a conductive hearing issue. This understanding reaffirms the diagnosis of left side conductive hearing loss as the more likely condition based