Skip to main content
Article
Wideband Ipsilateral Measurements of Middle-ear Muscle Reflex Thresholds in Children and Adults
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (2007)
  • Kim Schairer, Boys Town National Research Hospital
  • John C. Ellison, Boys Town National Research Hospital
  • Denis F. Fitzpatrick, Boys Town National Research Hospital
  • Douglas H. Keefe, Boys Town National Research Hospital
Abstract
The goals of the current study were to: 1) evaluate the feasibility of a new wideband approach to measuring middle-ear muscle reflex (MEMR) status, and 2) to test the hypothesis that ipsilateral thresholds elicited with 1 or 2 kHz tones and broadband noise activators on a wideband acoustic transfer function (WATF) system are lower than thresholds elicited on a clinical system. Clinical MEMR tests have limitations, including the need for high activator levels to elicit a shift in a narrowband probe (e.g., a 0.226 or 1 kHz tone). Wideband MEMR tests using WATFs may elicit the reflex at lower levels because a wideband probe (click) is used and the threshold detection criterion can be wideband. Mean wideband MEMR thresholds across 40 normal-hearing adult ears were 2.2-4.0 dB lower than clinical MEMR thresholds, depending on the activator and specific WATF test used (admittance magnitude or energy reflectance). Wideband MEMR has potential clinical utility beyond the adult population, including use in newborn and preschool hearing screenings. In a newborn hearing screening, for example, wideband MEMR could be completed with the same system as otoacoustic emissions. However, further investigations in infants and young children are needed.
Keywords
  • sound pressure,
  • acoustical measurements,
  • otoacoustic emissions,
  • testing procedures,
  • hearing
Publication Date
2007
DOI
10.1121/1.2722213
Publisher Statement
Copyright 2007 Acoustical Society of America. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the Acoustical Society of America.

The following article appeared in Kim S. Schairer, John C. Ellison, Denis Fitzpatrick, and Douglas H. Keefe, Wideband ipsilateral measurements of middle-ear muscle reflex thresholds in children
and adults, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 121, 3607 (2007) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2722213.
Citation Information
Kim Schairer, John C. Ellison, Denis F. Fitzpatrick and Douglas H. Keefe. "Wideband Ipsilateral Measurements of Middle-ear Muscle Reflex Thresholds in Children and Adults" Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Vol. 121 Iss. 6 (2007) p. 3607 ISSN: 1520-9024
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kim-schairer/11/