Middle-ear function at high frequencies quantified with advanced bone-conduction measures
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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Sound Source Localization Testing in Single-sided Deafness Following Bone Conduction Intervention
Published on: December 20, 2024
Gerald R Popelka1, Goutham Telukuntla, Sunil Puria
1Department of Otolaryngology, Stanford University, 801 Welch Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5739, USA. gpopelka@stanford.edu
Abstract:
Auditory thresholds with standardized clinical procedures are obtained over a much narrower frequency range by bone conduction than by air conduction. As a result, diagnostic information for both sensorineural and conductive-mechanism function is incomplete for high frequencies. A new magnetostrictive bone-conduction transducer that has the potential for improved output in the high-frequency range was evaluated in the laboratory and in a variety of subjects with normal hearing (N=11) or sensorineural hearing loss (N=9). Laboratory results indicated that harmonic distortion and acoustic radiation were both sufficiently low to allow accurate threshold measurements. Auditory thresholds obtained with this magnetostrictive bone-conduction transducer can be measured accurately under conventional clinical conditions for frequencies up to 16 kHz and levels up to 85 dB HL. These measures can be used to accurately characterize sensorineural hearing sensitivity for high frequencies and, when combined with standard air-conduction measures for high frequencies, to accurately characterize conductive-mechanism function for frequencies higher than possible with current diagnostic bone-conduction technology.
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