Transient otoacoustic emissions in the detection of olivocochlear bundle maturation

The medial olivocochlear bundle, forms a neural pathway connecting the superior olivary complex to the outer hair cells of mainly the contralateral cochlea. Although the biological significance of the bundle remains ambiguous, it is clear that activation of medial olivocochlear fibers alters cochlear output and this can be experimentally evident through a series of changes on otoacoustic emissions, called otoacoustic emission suppression. The aim of this study is to observe the maturation of the medial olivocochlear bundle by measuring the suppression effects on transient otoacoustic emissions.

The study population consisted of 27 premature babies (53 ears) from the P&A Kyriakou Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (conceptional age: 31-36 weeks) and 43 fullterm babies (61 ears) (conceptional age: 37-42 weeks) from the same unit. The ILO-92 system is used to deliver both the linear clicks to the ear examined (producing the emissions) and the white noise to the contralateral ear. The mode used is based on the alternating on and off presence of the white noise in the contralateral ear.

12/53 (22%) ears of preterm babies presented suppression > or =1 dB. 32/61 (52.4%) ears of fullterm babies presented suppression > or =1 dB. The mean suppression for the ears of premature infants was 0.52 dB, (+/-0.1 S.E.M.). The mean suppression for the ears of fullterm infants was 0.90 dB, (+/-0.09 S.E.M.). At the second half of the time window, suppression of fullterms rises above 1 dB (a pattern similar to that of adults), whereas it remains below 1 dB for preterms.

Suppression of otoacoustic emissions helps us to study the function of the medial olivocochlear bundle in different populations. It appears in premature babies but becomes stronger as the postconceptional age advances.