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[A comparison of impedance and pure tone audiometry in children (author's transl)]
Insights
Impedance audiometry is a preferred hearing screening for preschool children. This method effectively identifies middle ear issues, confirming hearing disorders found by pure-tone audiometry and detecting additional cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Otolaryngology
- Diagnostic Auditory Testing
Context:
- Preschool children (n=386) underwent hearing assessments.
- Comparison between conventional pure-tone audiometry and impedance audiometry.
- Follow-up examinations were conducted for children with abnormal screening results.
Purpose:
- To compare the efficacy of pure-tone audiometry and impedance audiometry in preschool children.
- To evaluate the diagnostic value of impedance audiometry for detecting middle ear pathologies in young children.
Summary:
- All children with confirmed hearing disorders exhibited abnormal impedance measurements during initial screening.
- Impedance audiometry alone identified ear pathologies in 5.92% of children missed by pure-tone audiometry.
- Impedance measurements of middle ear pressure and acoustic reflex are highly recommended for preschool screenings.
Impact:
- Impedance audiometry is a time-efficient and easily performed screening tool for preschool hearing evaluations.
- This method enhances the detection rate of auditory and middle ear disorders in young populations.
- Supports the routine use of impedance audiometry in pediatric audiological assessments for improved diagnostic accuracy.
Abstract:
The results of conventional pure-tone audiometry and impedance audiometry are compared in 386 pre-school children. The children showing abnormal audiograms were subjected to a repeated examination in the ENT Clinic a few weeks later. It was shown, that all children, whose hearing disorders were confirmed, had already had abnormal impedance measurements during the screening examination. On the other hand, pathological changes of the ears were detected in 5.92% of the children only by the impedance measurements and not by the conventional puretone audiometry. Evaluation of the pressure and the acoustic reflex of the middle ear by impedance audiometry is preferred. It is well recommended in the examination of pre-school children, because the procedure takes little time and is easy to perform.