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Longitudinal changes in real-ear to coupler difference measurements in infants
Kristina Bingham1, Lorienne M Jenstad, Navid Shahnaz
1School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|November 12, 2009
Summary
Real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) in infants changes significantly over one month, but this change is smaller than test-retest variability. RECD values are not fully predictable from age or ear canal measures.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric audiology
- Acoustics
Background:
- Real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) quantifies sound pressure level differences between a coupler and an infant's ear canal.
- Infant ear SPLs are highly variable and crucial for hearing aid fitting and threshold determination.
- Longitudinal changes and predictability of RECD in infants are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine longitudinal changes in infant RECD values over one month.
- Relate RECD changes to test-retest variability.
- Determine if RECD is predictable from corrected age, static admittance, or equivalent ear canal volume (EECV).
Main Methods:
- Recruited 14 infants (7-25 days old) with normal middle ear status.
- Conducted two visits one month apart, performing otoacoustic emissions, tympanometry, and RECD measurements.
- Utilized 226 Hz and 1000 Hz probe-tone tympanometry and two RECD measures per ear per visit.
Main Results:
- A significant change in RECD values was observed over the one-month interval.
- Final RECD values were partially predictable from age, initial RECD, static admittance, and EECV.
- RECD test-retest variability exceeded longitudinal RECD changes within one month.
Conclusions:
- Remeasuring RECD for ear canal acoustics is likely unnecessary for assessments within one month using the same transducer.
- RECD must be measured during assessments as values are not fully predictable from infant age or basic ear canal measures.
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