A study of the reliability of automatic audiometry by the frequency scanning method (Audioscan)

This study was designed to evaluate the reliability of Audioscan audiometry. Repeated measurement of hearing thresholds were conducted using the frequency scanning method specific to Audioscan. These thresholds were compared to those assessed by means of the fixed-frequency Békésy method. Overall, 24 subjects participated in this study. They had to have a significant history of occupational or extra-occupational noise exposure and exhibit at least a slight hearing loss. The reliability of Audioscan proved to be comparable to the Békésy method for thresholds measured at conventional frequencies, when the sweep speed was set at 10 or 20 seconds per octave and the step size at 5 dB. The measurement error typically fell between 3.5 and 4.5 dB, a range of values that compares well with those obtained with the Békésy method under optimal conditions. The notches depicted by the Audioscan are reproducible and can be described by means of several parameters such as the frequency localization of the notch, the depth of the notch and the level of the notch.