The post-auricular myogenic response: a new instrument which simplifies its detection by machine scoring

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Audiology
• Bioacoustics
• Medical Device Technology

Background:

• Routine hearing screening is crucial for early detection of hearing loss in children.
• Objective audiometric measures are needed for efficient and reliable screening, especially in young children.
• Existing methods may require specialized personnel or complex procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel portable apparatus for routine audiometric screening in pediatric clinics.
• To evaluate the efficacy and objectivity of this new screening device.
• To assess the feasibility of using the apparatus in a clinical setting with infants.

Main Methods:

• The apparatus measures the postauricular myogenic response to auditory click stimuli.
• It employs a simple, objective machine scoring system for immediate results.
• The device was evaluated on 102 subjects, including normally hearing adults and children, and 46 infants aged 6-9 months.

Main Results:

• The apparatus demonstrated no false positive results in 102 subjects.
• A small percentage of normally hearing individuals did not elicit a response.
• Successful evaluation was achieved in a routine screening of 46 infants (6-9 months).

Conclusions:

• The portable apparatus offers a simple and objective method for audiometric screening in children's clinics.
• The device shows promise for routine use, particularly with infants.
• Further evaluation may be needed to address the small percentage of non-responders.