Rinne test

4.58  Rinne test. Used to distinguish between conductive and sensorineural hearing losses. A vibrating tuning fork is applied to the mastoid process until the subject can no longer hear it. Then it is held close to the subject’s ear. In a normal ear or in one with a sensorineural hearing loss the tone will be heard longer by air- than by bone-conduction, which is called a “positive Rinne.” The tone will be heard longer by bone-conduction than by air-conduction in an ear with a conductive hearing loss, which is called a “negative Rinne.”