Short-latency transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions as predictors of hearing status and thresholds

Estimating audiometric thresholds using objective measures can be clinically useful when reliable behavioral information cannot be obtained. Transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) are effective for determining hearing status (normal hearing vs hearing loss), but previous studies have found them less useful for predicting audiometric thresholds. Recent work has demonstrated the presence of short-latency TEOAE components in normal-hearing ears, which have typically been eliminated from the analyses used in previous studies. The current study investigated the ability of short-latency components to predict hearing status and thresholds from 1-4 kHz. TEOAEs were measured in 77 adult ears with thresholds ranging from normal hearing to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Emissions were bandpass filtered at center frequencies from 1 to 4 kHz. TEOAE waveforms were analyzed within two time windows that contained either short- or long-latency components. Waveforms were quantified by root-mean-square amplitude. Long-latency components were better overall predictors of hearing status and thresholds, relative to short-latency components. There were no significant improvements in predictions when short-latency components were included with long-latency components in multivariate analyses. The results showed that short-latency TEOAE components, as analyzed in the current study, were less predictive of both hearing status and thresholds from 1-4 kHz than long-latency components.