Automated Adaptive Wideband Acoustic Reflex Threshold Estimation in Normal-hearing Adults.
Kim S Schairer, Daniel B Putterman, Douglas H Keefe and 4 others
PMID 34320528WHAT IT FOUND
Reflex thresholds measured with the automated wideband method were lower than thresholds measured with the clinical method in adults with normal hearing, especially for broadband noise.
The automated method averaged 14 seconds per condition.
Key findings
01Reflex thresholds measured with the automated wideband method were lower than thresholds measured with the clinical method in every activator condition, with the largest difference for broadband noise.
02The automated wideband procedure took a mean 14 seconds per condition.
03Wideband thresholds measured at the pressure used to compensate for middle-ear pressure were higher than at ambient pressure, but the differences were 2.5 dB or less.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study included only adults with normal hearing and normal middle-ear function, so it does not show how the wideband method performs in people with hearing loss or middle-ear disease. Some recruited subjects were excluded because they did not meet criteria or because of equipment issues. The clinical test time was not measured, so speed comparison with the clinical method is not direct. The study did not test whether lower thresholds affect clinical decisions or patient outcomes. Gender differences were observed but were not the focus, and data were collapsed across gender.
Declared interests
The paper is listed as having U.S. Government, non-P.H.S. research support. No author conflicts-of-interest statement is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the automated wideband test is clinically better or that lower thresholds indicate a patient problem. The study measured adults with normal hearing and compared threshold estimates, not diagnostic accuracy or patient outcomes.