Clinical Utilisation of High-frequency DPOAEs

The value of assessing auditory function at frequencies above 8kHz to detect age-related changes and ototoxic damage in the cochlea is well established but not commonplace. Physiological changes in the auditory periphery due to age and ototoxicity are initially evident, and most prominent, at frequencies above 8kHz [1]. The most well investigated use of hearing thresholds and otoacoustic emissions above 8kHz is in monitoring auditory function in patients undergoing chemotherapy [2]. Ototoxic changes in hearing thresholds at frequencies between 10-14kHz prior to the manifestation of any changes at lower frequencies have been consistently documented in these patients. Age-related changes in hearing also appear at frequencies above 8kHz prior to any observable changes at regular audiometric frequencies [3]. The value of using hearing thresholds at frequencies above 8kHz to detect noise-induced hearing loss is debated in the literature with some reports of hearing thresholds at frequencies above 8kHz demonstrating more sensitivity to noise-induced damage than others [4].