High-Resolution Audiometry: An Automated Method for Hearing Threshold Acquisition with Quality Control

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (01) ◽  
pp. 036-045
Author(s):  
Lin Bian
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Test System ◽  
Frequency Resolution ◽  
Physiological Measures ◽  
Automated Method ◽  
Hearing Thresholds

Background: In clinical practice, hearing thresholds are measured at only five to six frequencies at octave intervals. Thus, the audiometric configuration cannot closely reflect the actual status of the auditory structures. In addition, differential diagnosis requires quantitative comparison of behavioral thresholds with physiological measures, such as otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) that are usually measured in higher resolution. Purpose: The purpose of this research was to develop a method to improve the frequency resolution of the audiogram. Research Design: A repeated-measure design was used in the study to evaluate the reliability of the threshold measurements. Study Sample: A total of 16 participants with clinically normal hearing and mild hearing loss were recruited from a population of university students. Intervention: No intervention was involved in the study. Data Collection and Analysis: Custom developed system and software were used for threshold acquisition with quality control (QC). With real-ear calibration and monitoring of test signals, the system provided accurate and individualized measure of hearing thresholds that were determined by an analysis based on signal detection theory (SDT). The reliability of the threshold measure was assessed by correlation and differences between the repeated measures. Results: The audiometric configurations were diverse and unique to each individual ear. The accuracy, within-subject reliability, and between-test repeatability are relatively high. Conclusions: With QC, the high-resolution audiograms can be reliably and accurately measured. Hearing thresholds measured as ear canal sound pressures with higher frequency resolution can provide more customized hearing-aid fitting. The test system may be integrated with other physiological measures, such as OAEs, into a comprehensive evaluative tool.

Hearing threshold assessment post grommet insertion. Is it reliable?

2006 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 431-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Griffiths ◽  
D James ◽  
R Davis ◽  
S Hartland ◽  
N Molony
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Otoacoustic Emission ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
General Anaesthetic ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Brainstem Response ◽  
Operative Assessment

We aimed to investigate whether auditory brainstem response (ABR), assessed immediately after grommet insertion, was an accurate measure of hearing threshold.Ten children were recruited (20 ears). Patients underwent transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) and ABR tests before and after grommet insertion under general anaesthetic. A third assessment was conducted at a six-week review, without anaesthetic or sedation. The hearing threshold in dB and the presence of TEOAE were recorded by senior audiologists. The results of each investigation were compared. At review, only 15 ABR and 17 TEOAE tests, of a possible 20, were recorded.Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions were recorded in 30 per cent of ears pre-operatively, 20 per cent of ears post-operatively and 82 per cent of ears at six-week review. The average ABR thresholds were 23.75 dB (range 10–45 dB) pre-operatively, 27.25 (range 15–40 dB) post-operatively and 15 dB (range 5–25 dB) at six-week review. Comparing pre- and post-operative assessment, decreased thresholds were seen in six ears and elevated thresholds in 11. Comparing the six-week review ABR with the post-operative ABR, 13 ears had decreased thresholds, by as much as 20 dB. Thresholds of 35 dB or greater were measured in six ears immediately after grommet insertion (maximum 40 dB). Threshold shifts of 15 dB or greater was observed in seven ears. The intra-subject variation was shown to be significant (p<0.001) when repeated measures analysis of variance was applied.We conclude that there is evidence that ABR can be inaccurate after grommet insertion, overestimating hearing thresholds. We believe that the mechanism by which the error is realised is temporary threshold shift.

scholarly journals Hearing Thresholds Changes after MRI 1.5T of Head and Neck

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Bahaloo ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Davari ◽  
Mohammad Sobhan ◽  
Seyyed Jalil Mirmohammadi ◽  
Mohammad Taghi Jalalian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Head And Neck ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Auditory Thresholds ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
High Frequency Audiometry ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After

Introduction. Exposure to high intensity noise produced by MRI is a cause for concern. This study was conducted to determine the temporary and permanent effects of exposure to noise created by performing MRI on the hearing threshold of the subjects using conventional and extended high frequency audiometry. Methods. This semiexperimental study was performed on 35 patients referred to Shahid Rahnemoun Hospital for head and neck MRI due to different clinical conditions. The hearing threshold of patients was measured before, immediately after, and 24 hours after performing 1.5 Tesla MRI using conventional and extended high frequency audiometry. SPSS version 18 was used to compare the mean hearing thresholds before and after MRI using paired T test and repeated measures analysis. Results. Comparison of auditory thresholds in conventional and extended high frequencies before and immediately after MRI showed a significant shift at 4 KHz (P = 0.008 and P = 0.08 for right and left ears), 6 KHz (P = 0.03 and P = 0.01 for right and left ears), and 14 KHz (P =0.03 and P = 0.31 for right and left ears). However, there was no significant difference between audiometric thresholds before and 24 hours after MRI. Conclusion. Noise due to 1.5 Tesla MRI can only cause transient threshold shift.

Otoacoustic Emissions as a Promising Diagnostic Tool for the Early Detection of Mild Hearing Impairment - Technical Advances in Acquisition, Analysis and Modeling

2016 ◽  
Vol 879 ◽  
pp. 2355-2360
Author(s):  
Arturo Moleti ◽  
Renata Sisto ◽  
Filippo Sanjust ◽  
Teresa Botti ◽  
Sandro Gentili
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Outer Hair Cells ◽  
Frequency Resolution ◽  
Phase Gradient ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Generation Mechanisms

Otoacoustic emissions are a by-product of the active nonlinear amplification mechanism located in the cochlear outer hair cells, which provides high sensitivity and frequency resolution to human hearing. Being intrinsically sensitive to hearing loss at a cochlear level, they represent a promising non-invasive, fast, and objective diagnostic tool. On the other hand, the complexity of their linear and nonlinear generation mechanisms and other confounding physical phenomena (e.g., interference between different otoacoustic components, acoustical resonances in the ear canal, transmission of the middle ear) introduce a large inter-subject variability in their measured levels, which makes it difficult using them as a direct measure of the hearing threshold using commercially available devices. Nonlinear cochlear modeling has been successfully used to understand the complexity of the otoacoustic generation mechanisms, and to design new acquisition and analysis techniques that help disentangling the different components of the otoacoustic response, therefore improving the correlation between measured otoacoustic levels and audiometric thresholds. In particular, nonlinear cochlear modeling was able to effectively describe the complex (amplitude and phase) response of the basilar membrane, and the generation of otoacoustic emissions by two mechanisms, nonlinear distortion and linear reflection by cochlear roughness. Different phase-frequency relations are predicted for the otoacoustic components generated by the two mechanisms, so they can be effectively separated according to their different phase-gradient delay, using an innovative time-frequency domain filtering technique based on the wavelet transform. A brief introduction to these topics and some new theoretical and experimental results are presented and discussed in this study.

scholarly journals Electrical Cochlear Response as an Objective Measure of Hearing Threshold and Hearing Performance Evaluation in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
A. K. Quintana-López ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Frequency Resolution ◽  
Threshold Estimation ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Pediatric Populations ◽  
T1 And T2 ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Auditory Skills

The difficulties of applying the audiometry in pediatric populations and its methodological limitations in implanted patients have spurred the development of new alternative auditory evaluation methods. This study aimed to show an objective method to estimate hearing thresholds in pediatric cochlear implanted patients through Electrical Cochlear Response (ECR) and to quantify the hearing performance by using an Auditory Skills Questionnaire (ASQ) and a Calibrated Sounds Test (CST) designed on purpose. Eighteen implanted patients, 1-6 years old underwent standard audiometry, ECR, and ASQ in two evaluation sessions T1 and T2. At T2, in addition, patients underwent CST. For patients ≤3 years old (G1), Pure Tone Averages (PTA and PTAECR)showed a statistically significant difference between them at T1 and T2. At T2 improvements in audiometric and ECR thresholds were observed (p<0.05), regarding T1. Patients older than 3 years (G2) had significantly better ASQ and CST scores. CST detection scores at 40 dBHL for groups G1 and G2, 36% and 70% respectively, showed a better relationship to ECR thresholds. The relationship observed between ECR thresholds and CST detection scores seems to confirm that ECR brings the feasibility of objective hearing threshold estimation and provides a better frequency resolution than audiometry.

scholarly journals Determinants of the Audiometric Notch at 4000 and 6000 Hz in Young Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (06) ◽  
pp. 371-383
Author(s):  
Ishan Sunilkumar Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Calibration Error ◽  
Cochlear Function ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Distortion Product ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
Children And Young Adults

Abstract Background Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is often characterized by the presence of an audiometric notch at 3000-6000 Hz in a behavioral audiogram. The audiometric notch is widely used to investigate NIHL in children and young adults. However, the determinants of the audiometric notch in young adults largely remain unknown. Purpose The study aimed to investigate the determinants of the audiometric notch in young adults. Research Design A cross-sectional design was adopted for the study. Study Sample A sample of 124 adults (38 males and 86 females) aged 18-35 years with normal otoscopic and tympanometric findings was recruited. Data Collection and Analysis Hearing thresholds and real-ear sound pressure levels (RESPLs) were obtained with calibrated ER-3A (Etymotic Research, Elk Grove Village, IL) andTDH-50P receivers (Telephonics, Farmingdale, NY). Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were used to evaluate the cochlear function. The external auditory canal (EAC) length was measured using the acoustical method. Noise exposure background (NEB) was estimated using the Noise Exposure Questionnaire. The notched audiograms were identified using: Phillips, Coles, and Niskar criteria. Results The prevalence of notched audiograms was substantially higher for TDH-50P supra-aural receivers than for ER-3A insert receivers. RESPLs at 6000 and 8000 Hz were the major predictors of notched audiograms for TDH-50P receivers. These predictors explained around 45% of the variance in the notched audiograms. The notched audiograms obtained with TDH-50P receivers showed no association with NEB. Individuals with notched audiograms measured using TDH-50P did not show convincing evidence of cochlear dysfunction as assessed by DPOAEs. Individuals with notched audiograms obtained with TDH-50P receivers revealed an average of shorter EAC and a poorer hearing threshold at 6000 Hz. Conclusions The calibration error in the RESPLs at 6000 and 8000 Hz that are likely to be influenced by the shorter EAC was the major determinant of the notched audiograms when the supra-aural transducers were used to measure hearing thresholds. Therefore, the supra-aural receivers should not be used to estimate the prevalence of NIHL in children and young adults when the less restrictive notch identification criteria are used to identify NIHL. Real-ear calibration techniques that are least influenced by the standing waves in the EAC should be preferred when investigating the prevalence of and risk factors for NIHL in young adults.

Vocal Performance Teachers and Hearing Loss

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
Vance Gunnell ◽  
Jeff Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Occupational Noise ◽  
Hearing Conservation ◽  
Occupational Noise Exposure ◽  
Distortion Product ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
Performance Teachers

Hearing thresholds and distortion product otoacoustic emissions were measured for teachers of vocal performance who were gathered for a national conference. Results showed mean audiometric thresholds to be consistent with noise induced hearing loss, more than what would be expected with normal aging. Years of instruction and age were considered as factors in the hearing loss observed. It was concluded that hearing conservation should be initiated with this group to help raise awareness and protect them from hearing loss due to occupational noise exposure.

Automatic Registering and Stitching of TEM/STEM Image Mosaics

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Ching Lin ◽  
Franco Stellari ◽  
Lynne Gignac ◽  
Peilin Song ◽  
John Bruley
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Vlsi Circuit ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Automated Method ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Stem Image ◽  
High Resolution Images ◽  
Global Optimal

Abstract Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and scanning TEM (STEM) is widely used to acquire ultra high resolution images in different research areas. For some applications, a single TEM/STEM image does not provide enough information for analysis. One example in VLSI circuit failure analysis is the tracking of long interconnection. The capability of creating a large map of high resolution images may enable significant progress in some tasks. However, stitching TEM/STEM images in semiconductor applications is difficult and existing tools are unable to provide usable stitching results for analysis. In this paper, a novel fully automated method for stitching TEM/STEM image mosaics is proposed. The proposed method allows one to reach a global optimal configuration of each image tile so that both missing and false-positive correspondences can be tolerated. The experiment results presented in this paper show that the proposed method is robust and performs well in very challenging situations.

scholarly journals Monitoring of the auditory pathway maturation after early intervention during the first year of life in infants with sensorineural hearing loss

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Matin ◽  
S. Haumann ◽  
W. Roßberg ◽  
D. Mitovska ◽  
T. Lenarz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Auditory Pathway ◽  
Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽  
First Year ◽  
Early Therapy ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
First Year Of Life

Abstract Purpose The objective of this study was to investigate the auditory pathway maturation monitored by auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in infants with hearing loss during the first year of life. ABR were used to estimate hearing thresholds and the effect of early intervention strategies using hearing aids (HA). Methods Click-evoked ABRs were measured in 102 infants aged from 0 to 12 months to determine their individual auditory threshold. Early therapy intervention was recommended before 12 months of age and analyzed. To evaluate the effect of hearing amplification on auditory maturation, different subgroups of infants with moderate hearing loss were analyzed and the auditory pathway maturation was determined based on IPL I–V shortening. Results Overall, 110 ears (54.0% of 204 ears) with mild to profound HL showed threshold changes of 10 dB up to 60 dB in the follow-up ABR testing. HA were prescribed at the age of 3.8 ± 3.9 months. Cochlear implantation (CI) was performed in cases of repeated profound HL at the age of 9.9 months ± 4.5 months. A significant shortening of IPL I–V in all subgroups of infants (with and without risk factors) who received HA was shown and assumed auditory pathway maturation. Conclusion An early intervention using optimally fitted HA influenced auditory pathway maturation and may lead to improvements of hearing thresholds during the first year of life in infants. This study underscores the importance of not only providing HAs to infants, but also controlling for hearing threshold changes ensuring that HAs provide the optimal level of intervention or CI is indicated.

Effect of Adaptive Compression and Fast-Acting WDRC Strategies on Sentence Recognition in Noise in Mandarin-Speaking Pediatric Hearing Aid Users

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (04) ◽  
pp. 273-278
Author(s):  
Haihong Liu ◽  
Yuanhu Liu ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Xin Jin ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
T Test ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Adaptive Compression ◽  
Fast Acting

AbstractWide dynamic range compression (WDRC) has been widely used in hearing aid technology. However, several reports indicate that WDRC may improve audibility at the expense of speech intelligibility. As such, a modified amplification compression scheme, named adaptive compression, was developed. However, the effect of compression strategies on speech perception in pediatric hearing aid users has not been clearly reported.The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of adaptive compression and fast-acting WDRC processing strategies on sentence recognition in noise with Mandarin, pediatric hearing aid users.This study was set up using a double-blind, within-subject, repeated-measures design.Twenty-six children who spoke Mandarin Chinese as their primary language and had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss participated in the study.Sentence recognition in noise was evaluated in behind-the-ear technology with both adaptive compression processing and fast-acting WDRC processing and was selected randomly for each child. Percent correct sentence recognition in noise with fast-acting WDRC and adaptive compression was collected from each participant. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the effect of gender, age at assessment, and hearing threshold of the better ear on signal-to-noise ratio, and a paired-samples t test was employed to compare the performance of the adaptive compression strategy and fast-acting WDRC processing.The mean percentage correct of sentence recognition in noise with behind-the-ear technology with fast-acting WDRC and adaptive compression processing were 62.24% and 68.71%, respectively. The paired-samples t test showed that the performance of the adaptive compression strategy was significantly better than the fast-acting WDRC processing (t = 3.190, p = 0.004).Compared with the fast-acting WDRC, adaptive compression provided better sentence recognition in noise for Mandarin pediatric hearing aid users.

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