ABSTRACT
Sixty-three children aged 4 to 17 years were examined by tympanometry, pure-tone audiometry, transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs), and otoscopy to evaluate the effects of middle ear pathologies and the associated hearing loss on TEOAEs. TEOAE measures were highly specific (93.8%) in identifying normal ears that passed both audiometric and tympanometric criteria. The sensitivity for identifying abnormal ears was also reasonable (83. 3%). The effects of the middle ear abnormality were most significant, regardless of the degree of hearing loss, when the tympanogram was type B with normal volume measures, which is associated with reduced eardrum mobility and middle ear fluid. The middle ear conditions producing the greater negative pressure, which in turn led to more conductive hearing loss, also produced more TEOAE failures. The mere presence of an open ventilation tube was not a determining factor for absent TEOAEs because 60% of the open ventilation tubes had normal TEOAEs. Provided that the clinician understands the effects of middle ear pathologies on otoacoustic emissions, TEOAEs can be a great asset for diagnosis of both otologic and audiologic disorders.
Subject(s)
Ear, Middle , Hearing Disorders/diagnosis , Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous , Acoustic Impedance Tests , Adolescent , Audiometry, Pure-Tone , Child , Child, Preschool , Ear Diseases/physiopathology , Evoked Potentials, Auditory , Female , Hearing Disorders/etiology , Humans , Male , Sensitivity and SpecificitySubject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage , Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects , Astrocytoma/drug therapy , Brain Neoplasms/drug therapy , Cisplatin/administration & dosage , Cisplatin/adverse effects , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/chemically induced , Vertebral Artery , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Astrocytoma/pathology , Audiometry, Pure-Tone , Brain Neoplasms/pathology , Cisplatin/therapeutic use , Fatal Outcome , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/diagnosis , Humans , Infusions, Intra-Arterial/adverse effects , Male , Middle Aged , Occipital Lobe/pathologyABSTRACT
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery recently developed a questionnaire called the "Five-Minute Hearing Test" and distributed it to many primary care physicians. Our literature review suggests that the test characteristics (i.e., sensitivity and specificity) of this screening instrument have not been published. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the test by correlating the "Five-Minute Hearing Test" results to various audiologic results obtained for the same patients and to analyze the test characteristics with pure-tone measures as a standard criterion. An original version of the "Five-Minute Hearing Test" was administered to 70 patients older than 55 years, and a revised version of the test was administered to additional 74 elderly patients. The "Five-Minute Hearing Test" scores in both original and revised versions significantly correlated with all audiologic measures, especially with the pure-tone measures. However, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery's recommended cutoff score for a referral yielded a high false-positive rate. If the cutoff score were changed, the "Five-Minute Hearing Test" would be a reliable hearing screening tool for identification of hearing loss among the elderly population. Specific recommendations include adjustment of the cutoff score to at least 15 and revision of a few selected test items.
Subject(s)
Hearing Disorders/diagnosis , Hearing Tests , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sensitivity and Specificity , Surveys and QuestionnairesSubject(s)
Audiology/education , American Speech-Language-Hearing Association , Female , Humans , Male , United StatesABSTRACT
A combined use of pure-tone screening and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) has been proposed by Ventry and Weinstein (Asha 1983;25:37-42) to meet an increasing need to identify the elderly with possible hearing problems. The purpose of this study was to discern what follow-up action was taken by the individuals who failed the protocol and received a referral. One hundred and seventy-seven elderly people were screened. Thirty-eight (22%) out of 177 people received either Priority 1, 2, or 3 and were referred for further audiological or medical evaluations. Out of these 38, 25 were contacted for a follow-up telephone interview approximately 4 months after the screening. Thirteen (52%) out of 25 individuals followed our recommendation and received further evaluation. Audiological or medical treatment was recommended for all these individuals, 11 (85%) of whom actually accepted recommended treatment. The remaining 12 out of 25 individuals did not seek further evaluation for various reasons. This study presented several scenarios of what happened to those elderly people who failed the Ventry and Weinstein screening protocol.
Subject(s)
Hearing Disorders/diagnosis , Hearing Tests , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Audiometry, Pure-Tone , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Referral and ConsultationABSTRACT
The Tennessee Test of Rhythm and Intonation Patterns (T-TRIP) is a three-part suprasegmental test with 25 test items. The test items consisted of the nonsense syllable (ma) that was spoken and recorded with different rhythm and intonation patterns. Ten three-year-olds and 10 five-year-olds imitated the pattern they heard. The five-year-olds scored significantly better than the three-year-olds. The T-TRIP appears sensitive to differences between groups of different ages.
