Tympanometry in Infants: A Study of the Sensitivity and Specificity of 226-Hz and 1, 000-Hz Probe Tones

For infants under 6 months, the literature recommends 1,000-Hz tympanometry, which has a greater sensitivity for the correct identification of middle ear disorders in this population. Objective: To systematically analyze national and international publications found in electronic databases that used tympanometry with 226-Hz and 1,000-Hz probe tones. Data Synthesis  Initially, we identified 36 articles in the SciELO database, 11 in the Latin American and Caribbean Literature on the Health Sciences (LILACS) database, 199 in MEDLINE, 0 in the Cochrane database, 16 in ISI Web of Knowledge, and 185 in the Scopus database. We excluded 433 articles because they did not fit the selection criteria, leaving 14 publications that were analyzed in their entirety. Conclusions: The 1,000-Hz tone test has greater sensitivity and specificity for the correct identification of tympanometric curve changes. However, it is necessary to clarify the doubts that still exist regarding the use of this test frequency. Improved methods for rating curves, standardization of normality criteria, and the types of curves found in infants should be addressed...

Auditory and communicative abilities in the auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder and mutation in the Otoferlin gene: clinical cases study / Habilidades auditivas e comunicativas no espectro da neuropatia auditiva e mutação no gene Otoferlin: estudo de casos

This study had the aim to investigate the auditory and communicative abilities of children diagnosed with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder due to mutation in the Otoferlin gene. It is a descriptive and qualitative study in which two siblings with this diagnosis were assessed. The procedures conducted were: speech perception tests for children with profound hearing loss, and assessment of communication abilities using the Behavioral Observation Protocol. Because they were siblings, the subjects in the study shared family and communicative context. However, they developed different communication abilities, especially regarding the use of oral language. The study showed that the Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder is a heterogeneous condition in all its aspects, and it is not possible to make generalizations or assume that cases with similar clinical features will develop similar auditory and communicative abilities, even when they are siblings. It is concluded that the acquisition of communicative abilities involves subjective factors, which should be investigated based on the uniqueness of each case.

Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar as habilidades auditivas e comunicativas de crianças diagnosticadas com Espectro da Neuropatia Auditiva, sendo a etiologia definida como mutação no gene Otoferlin. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritivo-qualitativa, na qual foram avaliados dois irmãos que se enquadram no quadro clínico descrito. Os procedimentos realizados foram: testes de percepção de fala voltados a crianças deficientes auditivas profundas e avaliação das habilidades comunicativas por meio do Protocolo de Observação Comportamental. Por serem irmãos, as crianças voluntárias neste estudo partilham o mesmo ambiente familiar e contexto comunicativo. Apesar disso, desenvolveram habilidades comunicativas distintas, principalmente quanto ao uso da linguagem oral. O estudo mostrou que o Espectro da Neuropatia Auditiva é uma patologia muito heterogênea em todos os aspectos, não sendo possível fazer generalizações ou supor que casos com características clínicas similares desenvolverão as mesmas habilidades auditivas e comunicativas, mesmo no caso de irmãos. Conclui-se que a aquisição dessas habilidades envolve fatores subjetivos, que devem ser investigados a partir da singularidade de cada caso.