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Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the properties of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) evoked by chirp stimuli and compare them with standard click-evoked OAEs. Differences between evoked OAEs in children with and without spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) were also assessed., Methods: OAEs were first recorded from 54 children (age 4-10 years) in a screening setup. In each ear five OAE measurements were made using two types of chirps (7.5 ms and 10.5 ms) at around 70 dB pSPL; clicks at 70 and 80 dB pSPL; and a standard synchronized SOAE stimulation protocol. Tympanometry was also conducted. Pass/refer criteria based on signal to noise ratios (SNRs) were applied to all OAEs. Pass/refer rates from all methods (OAEs evoked by chirps and clicks, and tympanometry) were compared. Additionally, half-octave-band values of OAE SNRs and response levels were used to assess statistical differences., Results: Chirp-evoked OAEs generated a similar number of passes to click-evoked OAEs when the same level of stimulus was used. When using lower stimulus levels, both chirp- and click-evoked OAEs diagnosed nearly all ears that failed tympanometry. The response levels and SNRs of OAEs evoked by clicks and chirps were very similar. The highest response levels were in the 1.4 kHz half-octave band. The SNRs for ears with SOAEs were highest at 1.4 kHz, whereas they were at 4 kHz for ears without SOAEs. Both response levels and SNRs were higher by about 5 dB for ears with SOAEs than ears without SOAEs. Also all ears with SOAEs generated a pass result in screening, while ears without SOAEs gave a pass less frequently (at least 30% fewer cases)., Conclusions: The results suggest that performance of chirp-evoked OAEs for screening purposes is similar to click-evoked OAEs when the same stimulus level is applied. OAEs evoked with lower stimulus levels (70 vs. 80 dB pSPL) are more sensitive to middle ear pathology. The presence of SOAEs significantly influences the pass rates of OAEs evoked by chirps and clicks., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) were recorded from full-term and preterm neonates. The responses were decomposed, by means of an adaptive approximation method, into waveforms of defined frequencies, amplitudes, latencies and time spans. Statistically significant differences in the latency values were found between the tested groups. Differences were also found in the time spans of the TEOAEs components. For the preterm neonates the contribution of long-duration components (i.e. long-time span) was higher. Those components were characterized by narrow frequency band and contrary to the short-time span components their latencies did not depend on frequency. The removal of the long-duration components, from the pool of analyzed data, decreased the latency differences between the tested groups. The results indicate that the origin of the longer latency values for preterm neonates (with a post conceptional age up to 33 weeks) in respect to full-term neonates can be attributed to the presence of long-lasting components. The correspondence, which was found between frequencies of long-duration components and the spectral peaks of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs), suggests that those components may be connected with SOAEs.

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are currently used as a valuable audiological test or as a hearing screening tool. There are many commercially available OAE recording systems that are used both for clinical practice and for research. However, there is little information in the literature comparing their performance in detecting hearing loss. The purpose of this prospective, nonrandomized, and controlled study was to evaluate the screening performance obtained from recent and older versions of the Otometrics Accuscreen OAE screening device in comparison with the Otodynamics ILO-292 OAE system, which has been used as the gold standard. Testing included otoscopic assessment, pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, and transiently evoked OAE (TEOAE) recordings. There was about a 77% agreement between the two versions of the Accuscreen device. Agreement between the two Accuscreen devices and the ILO was approximately 70% for the old and 80% for the new. The newer version of Accuscreen seems to perform better than the old, being more consistent with the reference ILO system and with the audiometry profiles of the tested subjects. In order to set robust standards for OAE evaluation and analysis, additional studies comparing different OAE hearing screening systems are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are usually measured in a frequency range up to 8 kHz, although some systems permit measurements up to 16 kHz. For any test to be reliable it is important to determine its repeatability. Therefore in the present study DPOAE recordings were made using the SmartOAE system with a focus on the repeatability of high-frequency DPOAEs. Material and methods: DPOAEs were measured in subjects with normal hearing from 0.25 to 16 kHz. Recordings were made at frequencies of 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.5, 14, and 16 kHz. Each recording session consisted of three measurements: the first two performed without removing the probe from the ear (single fit mode), and the third after removing and re-inserting it into the ear canal (multiple fit mode). Recordings from 15 ears were made. Results: In single fit mode, the biggest fluctuations were obtained at 0.75, 8, 11, 12.5, and 14 kHz -- the largest was 2.8 dB. In the multiple fit mode, greater variability was obtained compared to measurements made without removing the probe -- the largest reached 3.4 dB. Conclusions: Even though the measured signals significantly exceeded the noise floor, differences between measurements for some frequencies still reached as high as 3.4 dB. Our work confirms the usefulness of testing very high DPOAE frequencies (>8 kHz), but at the same time some caution is needed when interpreting the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Self-esteem is a good predictor of mental health and is crucial for well-being and psychological functioning. It is especially important in situations where there are potential mental health problems, such as in people suffering from hearing loss or total deafness. This study aims to gauge the level of self-esteem in adults with hearing problems, in particular those who, in adulthood, had received a cochlear implant (CI). The subjects had different onset (pre-lingual/post-lingual) and amount (deafness/partial deafness) of hearing loss, and their current level of self-esteem was compared to that of the general population. The association of self-esteem with other deafness-related variables (e.g. satisfaction with their CI or whether they also used a hearing aid) and sociodemographic factors was also investigated. Methods: Data were obtained from questionnaires mailed to patients who, when adult, had received a CI. The subjects were divided into four subgroups: subjects with pre-lingual deafness, post-lingual deafness, pre-lingual partial deafness, and post-lingual partial deafness. To evaluate their self-esteem, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was used. For data on sociodemographic status and information related to deafness and CI, we used our own Information Inquiry form. For statistical analysis of the results, we compared means (t-test, ANOVA), investigated correlations, and applied linear regression. Results: The self-esteem of deaf and partially deaf CI users was significantly lower than in the general population, especially for post-lingually deafened subjects. The only factor related to deafness and CIs that explained self-esteem was self-rated satisfaction with the CI–meaning that higher satisfaction was associated with higher self-esteem. The major sociodemographic factor that explained self-esteem was marital/partnership status (being in a relationship was helpful). Also men had higher self-esteem than women. Those with higher levels of education, and those working or studying, had higher self-esteem than those who did not. RSES was found to have a single-factor structure. Conclusion: Deafness and partial deafness appear to be risk factors for lower self-esteem, a finding that rehabilitation, medical, educational, and employment communities should be made aware of. Medical intervention in the form of a CI supplies the person with improved hearing, but it is not a panacea: their self-esteem is still vulnerable, and reinforcement of self-esteem is an aspect that professionals should focus on. Psychological, psycho-educational, and psychotherapeutic interventions have important roles to play for CI recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) were measured from 124 ears from two subject groups: healthy subjects (62 ears), and workers (62 ears) exposed to noise of jet engines. The recordings were analyzed using the method of adaptive approximations based on a matching pursuit (MP) algorithm. The method allows for description of the signal components in terms of their amplitude, frequency, latency, and time-span (or duration). The purpose of this work was to determine the repeatability and usefulness of these parameters in studies of hearing impairment of populations exposed to potentially harmful noise. Good distinction between the two datasets was achieved in all investigated frequency bands when amplitude was used as a discrimination parameter. Also latency was affected in frequency bands starting at 2000Hz, while the time-span parameter associated with the duration of the waveform was less influenced by noise. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the Biennial Symposium of the International Evoked Response Audiometry Study Group (IERASG) held by Dong-A University in Busan and Seoul National University, in Busan, South Korea from May 10 - May 14, 2015.

The article discusses the American Auditory Society Scientific and Technology meeting, which was held in Scottsdale, Arizona from March 5 - March 7, 2015.

This article discusses the opening of the World Hearing Center, a unit of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing (IPPH) in Kajetany, Poland, on May 10, 2012. The center is designed to provide care for people with congenital and acquired hearing, voice, speech and balance disorders. The event was accompanied by an international conference attended by several scientists including Blake Wilson, Rene Gifford and Ad Snik.

Impedance audiometry is a routine test for diagnosing hearing disorders in children. Typically, tympanometry uses a 220 or 226 Hz probe tone. However, using a 1000 Hz test tone is becoming increasingly popular, particularly in newborns, since it enables one to assess individual components of the ear's admittance. This study compares tympanograms for test frequencies of 226 Hz and 1000 Hz in newborns and evaluate the rate of occurrence of each type of tympanogram for both frequencies. The study material was 53 newborns. All newborns underwent middle ear susceptibility testing at two measurement frequencies: 226 Hz and 1000 Hz. The parameters obtained with both frequencies were compared, and the utility of the 1000 Hz test frequency for middle ear diagnostics in newborns was evaluated. The results show that tympanograms obtained from the same ear using different test frequencies are significantly different. The 1000 Hz tone produced a higher rate of type B tympanograms (flat). Tympanometry curves for 226 Hz and 1000 Hz are different, and in newborns the 1000 Hz test tone revealed a higher rate of middle ear pathology. However, further studies are required to verify that 1000 Hz tympanometry is a high-sensitivity diagnostic method for middle ear problems in newborns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing is one of our most important senses, and hearing ability has an enormous impact on a child's psychomotor development. Children with auditory perception disorders may show abnormal development in terms of speech, language, and communication skills, as well as other disorders involving the cognitive sphere, social–emotional interactions, and motor development. This paper describes different paths of psychomotor development in three 4-year-old children. All were born with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss and were implanted early on with a cochlear implant. A longitudinal study of the children's psychomotor development was done for 3 years from the time of cochlear implantation. We present three children with congenital, profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Psychomotor development was evaluated using the Children Development Scale (CDS) and the Psychomotor Development Evaluation Cards (PDEC). The three children were: Girl A (4 years 2 months 17 days) – a user of one CI, last assessment of psychomotor development (PDEC) was 37 months after CI activation; Boy B (4 years 3 months 21 days) – a user of two CIs, last assessment of psychomotor development (PDEC) was 39 months after activation of first CI; Boy C (4 years 1 month 5 days) – user of two CIs, last assessment of psychomotor development (PDEC) was 36 months after activation of the first CI. Analysis of the results from Girl A showed very poor dynamics of development from the age of 12 months, when the first CDS evaluation was performed, up to the PDEC evaluation performed at age 4 years. The CDS score of Boy B showed a very high level of psychomotor development. The PDEC evaluation performed after 39 months of using the first CI showed that the psychomotor development of Boy B was consistent with his chronological age. Boy C presented an average level of psychomotor development (compared to typically developing children) in his CDS scores in the perioperative period and then at 4, 9, and 14 months after cochlear implantation. After 24 months, his CDS scores showed a high level of psychomotor development. After 3 years of CI use, the PDEC evaluation showed that Boy C had an average score in five tested areas, a high score in the area of fine motor skills and lateralization, and a low score in knowledge and learning competencies. Children with bilateral profound hearing loss can present different paths of psychomotor development. Children who receive a CI may show an age-appropriate level of psychomotor development compared to typically developing children. However, a hearing, speech, and language rehabilitation specialist responsible for the child still needs to perform regular checkups to monitor all areas of psychomotor development. Also, the effects of the deaf child's environmental determinants on psychomotor development should be studied in detail. These determinants include the parents' emotional state, the parents' involvement in the child's rehabilitation, the family's quality of life, and the presence of deaf siblings. In particular, the difficulties encountered by the mother (or father) in being the parent of a deaf child may hinder the family from receiving adequate support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]