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DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.23.1.4
High-Resolution Audiometry: An Automated Method for Hearing Threshold Acquisition with Quality Control
Publication History
Publication Date:
06 August 2020 (online)
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.