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Clinical applicability of insert earphones for audiometry.
T E Borton1, B L Nolen, S B Luks
1Department of Surgery, University of Alabama, Birmingham.
Summary
New insert earphones for audiometry show comparable results to traditional headphones. This study confirms their reliability for both normal and hearing-impaired individuals, addressing clinical caution regarding new hearing test devices.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Hearing Science
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Insert earphones offer potential advantages over conventional supra-aural headphones for audiometry.
- Clinician adoption has been limited by a lack of comparative data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare pure-tone audiometric thresholds using insert earphones versus supra-aural transducers.
- To evaluate the impact of two coupling systems for insert earphones.
Main Methods:
- Pure-tone audiometry was conducted on normal and hearing-impaired subjects.
- Thresholds were measured using insert earphones and conventional supra-aural transducers.
- Two different coupling systems for insert earphones were assessed.
Main Results:
- No clinically significant differences were found in pure-tone thresholds across the three tested earphone/coupler arrangements.
- Results were consistent for both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired participants.
Conclusions:
- Insert earphones provide comparable audiometric threshold measurements to traditional devices.
- The findings support the clinical use of insert earphones for hearing assessments.
- Further discussion on the advantages and limitations of insert earphones is warranted.