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Electrophysiological Measurements and Analysis of Nociception in Human Infants
Published on: December 20, 2011
A Longitudinal Analysis of Pressurized Wideband Absorbance Measures in Healthy Young Infants
Hamzah A Wali1,2, Rafidah Mazlan1, Joseph Kei3
1Audiology Programme, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Insights
Pressurized wideband absorbance (WBA) in infants shows age-related changes in the outer and middle ear. These findings highlight the need for age-specific normative data for this emerging diagnostic tool.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Infant Auditory Development
Background:
- Wideband absorbance (WBA) is an emerging technology for assessing infant auditory pathways.
- Research on WBA in infants has primarily focused on ambient pressure conditions.
- Pressurized WBA in neonates requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of age on wideband absorbance (WBA) measurements.
- To evaluate WBA under pressurized conditions in healthy infants aged 0 to 6 months.
- To understand the maturation of the infant auditory system using pressurized WBA.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study involving 44 healthy neonates assessed monthly from 0 to 6 months.
- Utilized high-frequency tympanometry, acoustic stapedial reflex, and distortion product otoacoustic emissions.
- Analyzed pressurized WBA values at tympanometric peak pressure (TPP) and 0 daPa across 0.25–8 kHz frequencies.
Main Results:
- Significant age-related differences in WBA patterns were observed using linear mixed models.
- WBA generally decreased at low frequencies (<0.4 kHz) and increased at high frequencies (2–8 kHz) with age.
- Infants aged 3–6 months showed distinct WBA patterns compared to 0–2 month olds at specific low and high frequencies.
Conclusions:
- The study provides evidence for the maturation of the outer and middle ear system in infants from birth to 6 months.
- Pressurized WBA measurements reveal age-dependent changes in auditory function.
- Age-specific normative data for pressurized WBA are necessary for accurate clinical interpretation in infants.
Objectives:
Wideband absorbance (WBA) is an emerging technology to evaluate the conductive pathway (outer and middle ear) in young infants. While a wealth of research has been devoted to measuring WBA at ambient pressure, few studies have investigated the use of pressurized WBA with this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of age on WBA measured under pressurized conditions in healthy infants from 0 to 6 months of age.
Design:
Forty-four full-term healthy neonates (17 males and 27 females) participated in a longitudinal study. The neonates were assessed at 1-month intervals from 0 to 6 months of age using high-frequency tympanometry, acoustic stapedial reflex, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, and pressurized WBA. The values of WBA at tympanometric peak pressure (TPP) and 0 daPa across the frequencies from 0.25 to 8 kHz were analyzed as a function of age.
Results:
A linear mixed model analysis, applied to the data, revealed significantly different WBA patterns among the age groups. In general, WBA measured at TPP and 0 daPa decreased at low frequencies (<0.4 kHz) and increased at high frequencies (2 to 5and 8 kHz) with age. Specifically, WBA measured at TPP and 0 daPa in 3- to 6-month-olds was significantly different from that of 0- to 2-month-olds at low (0.25 to 0.31 kHz) and high (2 to 5 and 8 kHz) frequencies. However, there were no significant differences between WBA measured at TPP and 0 daPa for infants from 3 to 6 months of age.
Conclusions:
The present study provided clear evidence of maturation of the outer and middle ear system in healthy infants from birth to 6 months. Therefore, age-specific normative data of pressurized WBA are warranted.
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