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Evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) and bone conduction stimulation. A preliminary report
Acta Oto-Laryngologica
|May 1, 1988
Summary
Bone and air conduction stimulation both evoke otoacoustic emissions in normal hearing. The ossicular chain plays a role in transmitting these emissions, but is not essential.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Otoacoustic Emissions
- Auditory Physiology
Background:
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are sounds generated by the cochlea.
- The role of the middle ear, specifically the ossicular chain, in OAE transmission is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the ossicular chain in the transmission of evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAEs).
- To compare EOAEs elicited by bone conduction stimulation (BCS) and air conduction stimulation (ACS) in normal-hearing and otosclerosis subjects.
Main Methods:
- EOAEs were measured in 6 normal-hearing subjects using both BCS and ACS.
- EOAEs were also measured in 4 subjects with unilateral otosclerosis before and after stapedectomy surgery, using both BCS and ACS.
Main Results:
- In normal-hearing subjects, EOAEs elicited by BCS and ACS exhibited similar characteristics.
- In otosclerosis patients, EOAEs were absent with ACS but present with BCS in the affected ear before surgery.
- Following stapedectomy, EOAEs became detectable with ACS in the previously affected ears.
Conclusions:
- The ossicular chain is important for efficient transmission of EOAEs to the eardrum.
- However, the ossicular chain is not strictly essential for EOAE generation or transmission, as evidenced by their elicitation via BCS even when ACS is impaired.