Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in adults: a comparison between two test protocols

This study compares the performance of the Quickscreen and Default protocols of the ILO-96 Otodynamics Analyzer in recording transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) from adults using clinical decision analysis. Data were collected from 25 males (mean age = 29.0 years, SD = 6.8) and 35 females (mean age = 28.1 years, SD = 9.6). The results showed that the mean signal-to-noise ratios obtained from the Quickscreen were significantly greater than those from the Default protocol at 1,2, and 4 kHz. The comparison of the performance of the two protocols, based on the results using receiver operating characteristics curves, revealed a higher performance of the Quickscreen than the Default protocol at 1 and 4 kHz but not at 2 kHz. In view of the enhanced performance of the Quickscreen over the Default protocol in general, the routine use of the Default protocol for testing adults in audiology clinics should be reconsidered

Outcomes of ENT surgery for middle-ear disease in aboriginal populations living in remote communities: A comparison between pre and post operative audiometric results

Objective: Chronic middle-ear disease is highly prevalent amongst Aboriginal Australians living in remote communities. The disease does not respond well to antimicrobiol therapy and surgery is often indicated. The outcomes of this surgery for hearing having not been fully investigated. The primary aim of the study was to demonstrate an improvement in mean and individual hearing thresholds following middle-ear surgery. Improvement was defined as clinically lower post-operative air conduction thresholds at 5-7 months. The secondary aim was to investigate the effect of each surgical procedure on hearing thresholds. Method: The present study is a retrospective clinical analysis of audiometric and medical information collected from 38 subjects (44 ears) who underwent surgery for middle-ear disease between 1 June 1998 and 31 June 2000. Subjects were from remote Aboriginal communities in Queensland. The surgical procedures were adenoidectomy, myringotomy, and tympanoplasty. Results: Lower post-operative air conduction thresholds at 5-7 months were observed for the combined results of the surgical procedures, however, this result was not statistically significant. The most significant improvement in hearing thresholds occurred at 2000Hz. The surgical procedures that led to the greatest improvements in hearing thresholds were tympanoplasty and adenoidectomy combined with myringotomy. Conclusions: A large proportion of subjects had incomplete post-operative results. Resources need to be allocated for more effective post-operative follow-up so that more in-depth evaluations of ENT surgery can occur. Due to the inherent difficulties associated with successful surgical outcomes in remote aboriginal communities, prevention and early intervention may be a more effective means of combating middle ear disease than surgical intervention

Test-retest reliability of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in children with normal hearing: A preliminary study

The test-retest reliability of DPOAEs was investigated in 24 children (43 ears) with normal hearing at five F2 frequencies (2530, 3561, 5014, 7029. and 10 028 Hz). Two DPOAE recordings were performed on the same subjects in the same location using the same equipment. The second recordings were made 13 to 15 days after the first recording.. The DPOAE level recorded in the subjects ranged between -13.10 and 20.20 dB for all the five frequencies. The variation in DPOAE level was greater at 10 028 Hz than at other frequencies. The mean difference between the test and retest recordings was 0.52 +/- 2.87, 1.57 +/- 4.62, 0.01 +/- 3.38, -0.55 +/- 2.85, and -0.56 +/- 5.57dB at 2530, 3561, 5014, 7029, and 10 028 Hz, respectively. The intra-correlation coefficients for DPOAE level at each of the five (F2) frequencies were 0.85, 0.68, 0.62, 0.89, and 0.64 respectively. Calculations of mean +2SD showed that retest recordings greater than 6.26, 7.67, 6.81, 5.15, and 10.58 dB SPL at 2530, 3561, 5014, 7029, and 10 028 Hz respectively could possibly be interpreted as a significant change in status of the ear

Cherbourg revisited: hearing health changes in an Aboriginal community, 1972 to 2000

The aim of this study was to investigate current audiological outcomes of Cherbourg schoolchildren and compare these outcomes to those obtained in a 1972 study of hearing health in the same community. Seventy-eight primary school children of Cherbourg State School participated in the study. Their peripheral hearing and middle ear function were tested using pure-tone air conduction audiometry and tympanometry respectively. A significant improvement in the hearing status of this population was noted compared to that reported in 1972. The improvements in the hearing status of Indigenous schoolchildren at Cherbourg can be attributed to a number of factors, including increased awareness of both ear health and general health, as well as the introduction of hearing health care services, over the past three decades

Transient-evoked and 2F1-F2 distortion product oto-acoustic emissions in dogs: preliminary findings

Transient (click)-evoked oto-acoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion product oto-acoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were recorded in a feasibility study in 7 healthy mixed-breed dogs using the ILO 92 OAE analyser (Oto-dynamics, Hartfield, UK). Five dogs were found to have normal hearing in both ears and 2 dogs in the left ear only following otoscopy, tympanometry and auditory brainstem response audiometry. Twelve sets of TEOAEs (click-evoked) to 80 dB peSPL click stimulus and 9 sets of DPOAEs (2F(1)-F-2) to 8 different stimulus levels of the primary tones (L-1/L-2) were collected at 11 test frequencies (F-2) in these normal-hearing dogs. TEOAEs were successfully recorded in 11 of the 12 ears using the default user setting and in all 12 ears using the quickscreen program. DPOAEs were successfully recorded in all 9 ears tested. While the TEOAEs parameters matched those for humans, the average signal-to-noise ratio of DPOAEs was considerably higher in the dogs. Stimulus levels at 55/55, 55/45 and 55/35 dB SPL were demonstrated to produce DPOAEs that seem to reflect the active dynamic status of the outer hair cell system. Postmortem DPOAEs at these stimulus levels and TEOAEs at 80 Db peSPL could not be elicited 5 min following euthanasia of dogs. However, DPOAEs could still be recorded albeit with reduced amplitude at stimulus levels where L-1 > 55 dB SPL. The results suggest that TEOAEs and DPOAEs in dogs have the potential to provide valuable insights into their mechanisms of generation, and the specific role and behaviour of outer hair cells of the cochlea in certain pathological conditions, particularly in drug-induced ototoxicity, in humans

DPOAE Changes in Young Children With Confirmed Hearing Loss Due to Ototoxicity

To date, most studies of bone anchored hearing Aid (BAHA) fitting in children have focused on long-term maintenance of osseointegration and objective audiological outcomes, with little attention given to more qualitative outcomes relating to day-to-day use. This study involved 8 participants, aged between 12 and 21 years, all of whom had worn a unilateral BAHA for at least 1 year. The aims of the study were to examine audiological, physical and psychosocial outcomes. Evaluation included audiometric testing, a semistructured interview, and two questionnaires (i.e., Glasgow Benefit Inventory and International Outcomes Inventory–Hearing Aids). Results revealed improvements in speech discrimination, sound quality and comfort for all participants. Improvements in confidence, self-image, and socialisation were also experienced. Participants expressed some dissatisfaction with localisation abilities, phone usage, and the lack of availability of ongoing service and support. Findings indicate that the BAHA offers audiological, physical and psychosocial benefits for paediatric wearers, resulting in high levels of satisfaction

Processing of English words with fine acoustic contrasts and simple tones: A mismatch negativity study

The purpose of this study was to compare the robustness of the event-related potential (ERP) response, called the mismatch negativity (MMN), when elicited by simple tone stimuli (differing in frequency, duration, or intensity) and speech stimuli (CV nonword contrast /de:/ vs. /ge:/ and CV word contrast /deI/ vs. /geI/). The study was conducted using 30 young adult subjects (Groups A and B; n = 15 each). The speech stimuli were presented to Group A at a stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) of 610 msec and to Group B at an SOA of 900 msec. The tone stimuli were presented to both groups at an SOA of 610 msec. MMN responses were elicited by the simple tone stimuli (66.7%-96.7% of subjects with MMN "present," or significantly different from zero, p < 0.05) but not the speech stimuli (10% subjects with MMN present for nonwords, 10% for words). The length of the SOA (610 msec or 900 msec) had no effect on the ability to obtain consistent MMN responses to the speech stimuli. The results indicated a lack of robust MMN elicited by speech stimuli with fine acoustic contrasts under carefully controlled methodological conditions. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to conflicting reports in the literature of speech-elicited MMNs, and the importance of appropriate methodological design in MMN studies investigating speech processing in normal and pathological populations

Automatic auditory processing of English words as indexed by the mismatch negativity, using a multiple deviant paradigm

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate mismatch negativity (NEHN) responses to a variety of speech stimuli (/de:/, /ge:/, /deI/ "day", and /geI/ "gay") in a multiple deviant paradigm. It was hypothesized that all speech stimulus contrasts in the multiple deviant paradigm, including the fine acoustic speech contrast [d/g], would elicit robust MMN responses and that consonant vowel (CV) real word deviants (e.g., "day" and "gay") would elicit larger MMN responses than CV nonword deviants (e.g., "de" and "ge") within and across experimental contrasts

Psychosocial outcome measures for conductive and mixed hearing loss treatment: An overview of the relevant literature.

OBJECTIVE To identify the psychosocial assessments utilized with individuals with conductive and/or mixed hearing loss as part of a broader effort by the Auditory Rehabilitation Outcomes Network (AURONET) group to develop a core set of patient-centred outcome measures. DESIGN A review of articles published between 2006 and 2016 was completed. Included studies had more than three adult participants, were available in English, and reported a psychosocial outcome from any treatment of mixed and/or conductive hearing loss. STUDY SAMPLE Sixty-six articles from seven databases. RESULTS Sixty-six articles met our inclusion/exclusion criteria. Within this set, 15 unique psychosocial or patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) were identified, with the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) and Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) being the most frequently dispensed. Five of the fifteen were only administered in one study. In-house questionnaires (IHQs) were reported in 19 articles. CONCLUSIONS Only 66 (22%) of the 300 articles with outcomes contained a PRO. Some of the mostly frequently employed PROs (e.g., APHAB) were judged to include only social items and no psychological items. Lack of PRO standardization and the use of IHQs make psychosocial comparisons across treatments in this population difficult for patients, clinicians and stakeholders