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Effects of middle ear effusion on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in children
S O Chang1, Y J Jang, C K Rhee
1Department of Otolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, South Korea.
Insights
Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) can monitor middle ear effusion (MEE) in children. Improvement in TEOAEs below 2 kHz after tube placement suggests MEE resolution.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Diagnostic Acoustics
Background:
- Middle ear effusion (MEE) is common in children and can affect hearing.
- Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) are objective measures of cochlear outer hair cell function.
- Sequential monitoring of MEE can be challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of TEOAEs for monitoring middle ear effusion (MEE) in children.
- To investigate the impact of MEE on TEOAE measurements.
- To determine if TEOAEs can indicate MEE resolution following treatment.
Main Methods:
- TEOAEs were recorded in 56 ears of 33 children before and after tympanostomy tube placement.
- Patients were assessed for the presence or absence of MEE at the time of myringotomy.
- Analysis focused on changes in echo amplitude and band reproducibility across different frequency bands.
Main Results:
- In ears with MEE, band reproducibility below 2 kHz significantly improved post-tube placement.
- A decrease in band reproducibility at 5 kHz was observed in ears with MEE after treatment.
- Ears without MEE showed no significant changes in TEOAEs before and after surgery.
Conclusions:
- Serial TEOAE measurements can be a valuable tool for monitoring children with MEE.
- An improvement in TEOAEs, particularly below 2 kHz, may signify the resolution of MEE.
- TEOAEs offer a non-invasive method to assess treatment efficacy in otitis media with effusion.
Abstract:
In order to assess the applicability of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) measurements on the sequential monitoring of children with middle ear effusion (MEE), the effects of MEE on TEOAEs response were investigated. TEOAEs responses were recorded on 56 ears of 33 patients before and after tympanostomy tube placement. In the 37 ears with MEE seen at myringotomy, the average band reproducibility below 2 kHz recovered significantly after tube placement, whereas the average band reproducibility at 5 kHz diminished. In the 19 ears without MEE, no significant changes in echo amplitude and band reproducibility were noted in the post-operative TEOAEs measurements compared with pre-operative ones. The results of this study suggest that an improvement in echo response and band reproducibility below 2 kHz in serial TEOAEs measurements may indicate resolution of MEE in children with otitis media with effusion.