Longitudinal development of wideband reflectance tympanometry in normal and at-risk infants.

Longitudinal development of wideband reflectance tympanometry in normal and at-risk infants.
Hear Res. 2015 Dec 19;
Authors: Hunter LL, Keefe DH, Feeney MP, Fitzpatrick DF, Lin L
Abstract
PURPOSE: The goals of this study were to measure normal characteristics of ambient and tympanometric wideband acoustic reflectance, which was parameterized by absorbance and group delay, in newborns cared for in well-baby and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurseries, and to characterize the normal development of reflectance over the first year after birth in a group of infants with clinically normal hearing status followed longitudinally from birth to one year of age.
METHODS: Infants were recruited from a well-baby and NICU nursery, passed newborn otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and automated auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests as well as follow-up diagnostic ABR and audiometry. They were tested longitudinally for up to one year using a wideband middle ear acoustic test battery consisting of tympanometry and ambient-pressure tests. Results were analyzed for ambient reflectance across frequency and tympanometric reflectance across frequency and pressure.
RESULTS: Wideband absorbance and group delay showed large effects of age in the first 6 months. Immature absorbance and group delay patterns were apparent in the low frequencies at birth and one month, but changed substantially to a more adult-like pattern by age 6 months for bo...

Source: Hearing Research - December 19, 2015 Category: Audiology Authors: Hunter LL, Keefe DH, Feeney MP, Fitzpatrick DF, Lin L Tags: Hear Res Source Type: research