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Evaluation of the nonorganic hearing loss suspect
J D Durrant1, R K Kesterson, D B Kamerer
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Objective:
To examine the utility of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in the assessment of the nonorganic suspect because DPOAE analysis constitutes an objective test of hair-cell function that yields audiometriclike data.
Study Design:
Retrospective study of clinical findings.
Setting:
Audiology outpatient clinic of our university's medical center.
Patients:
The study cohort comprised 30 patients who presented with a profile of suspicion for nonorganic hearing loss. Most cases were found, with the aid of DPOAE testing, to be nonorganic or to have nonorganic overlays to organic hearing loss.
Interventions:
Interventions were diagnostic only.
Main Outcome Measures:
Observed audiometric findings and changes thereof.
Results:
Statistically significant decreases in thresholds occurred in subgroups of those cases deemed to be truly nonorganic in origin.
Conclusions:
Especially considering test efficiency, the results support the inclusion of DPOAE analysis in the diagnostic management of the suspect-nonorganic patient.