Development of a Novel Bone Conduction Verification Tool Using a Surface Microphone: Validation With Percutaneous Bone Conduction Users.
William Hodgetts, Dylan Scott, Patrick Maas and 1 others
PMID 29578886WHAT IT FOUND
A new forehead-mounted microphone measures bone conduction device output on the patient's skin.
It matched the standard skull simulator method for percutaneous users, offering a way to verify devices where skin or implants block traditional testing.
Key findings
01The surface microphone produced audibility results equivalent to the skull simulator, with only five of ninety comparisons showing significant differences that averaged 3.3 dB.
02The tool showed strong agreement with the simulator and good reliability when removed and replaced.
03The microphone had an artificial noise floor due to leakage, clearing it by at least 18 dB in over 80% of cases between 750 and 4000 Hz.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only included users of percutaneous bone conduction devices, so it does not prove the tool works for headband or active implant systems. The surface microphone has an artificial noise floor caused by leakage, which limits its sensitivity at low and high frequencies. The study used pink noise instead of real speech to avoid contamination from patient movement or breathing, which may not reflect actual speech processing. The master device had a fixed frequency response, so other complex fittings might fall below the measurement noise floor.
Declared interests
The study was supported by non-U.S. government funding. The text does not report commercial funding or specific author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this tool is validated for all bone conduction users. The study only tested percutaneous devices, and the authors state that validation for implanted or headband devices is still needed.