A TEOAE screening protocol based on linear click stimuli: performance and scoring criteria.

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Neonatal Hearing Screening
• Otoacoustic Emissions

Background:

• Transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) are crucial for neonatal hearing screening.
• Current TEOAE recording methodologies require optimization for improved accuracy.
• Linear and non-linear protocols exist, with theoretical advantages for linear methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the quality of neonatal TEOAE recordings using linear versus non-linear protocols.
• To evaluate signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios, correlation, amplitude, and noise levels.
• To establish clear scoring criteria for TEOAE analysis in neonates.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 1,416 neonatal ears (age 48 hours).
• TEOAE recordings were acquired using linear (click stimuli, 68 dB SPL) and non-linear (ILO default) protocols.
• Data were analyzed for correlation, response amplitude, noise, corrected response, and S/N ratio in 1.0- to 5.0-kHz bands using paired t-tests.

Main Results:

• Linear TEOAE protocols produced superior S/N ratios in the 2.0-, 3.0-, 4.0-, and 5.0-kHz bands.
• Linear protocols also demonstrated superior correlation estimates and lower noise levels.
• Clear scoring criteria for S/N ratios at 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 kHz were established using tolerance boundaries.

Conclusions:

• Linear TEOAE protocols offer enhanced recording quality for neonatal hearing assessments.
• The findings support the use of linear protocols for improved S/N ratios and reliability in TEOAE screening.
• Established scoring criteria can aid in more precise interpretation of neonatal TEOAE results.