Longitudinal Development of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions in Infants With Normal Hearing.
Lisa L Hunter, Chelsea M Blankenship, Douglas H Keefe and 5 others
PMID 29369290WHAT IT FOUND
DPOAE levels in normal-hearing infants change most in the first four months, then stay stable through 15 months.
Use age-specific norms, especially before 5 months.
Key findings
01DPOAE levels were highest at 1 month and decreased with age, with the largest decrease about 5 dB between Visits 1 and 2 at 4, 5.5, and 8 kHz.
02Normative data support two age ranges: 0 to 4 months and 5 months and older.
03DPOAE noise increased with age, was highest at 12 months, and low frequencies averaged 18 dB higher than 8 kHz.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used equipment from only one manufacturer, and noise-reduction algorithms differ by manufacturer, so noise and SNR results may not transfer to other devices. DPOAE test order was high to low and was not randomized, so infant movement or settling could have affected noise levels. The sample included only infants with verified normal hearing, so these data do not show how well DPOAEs detect hearing loss. Later visits had fewer DPOAE measurements because the main diagnostic tests were scheduled at other visits.
Declared interests
The article metadata lists NIH extramural and ARRA research support. The authors state the content is solely their responsibility and not necessarily official NIH, VA, or US Government views.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these DPOAE norms as proof that DPOAE screening detects hearing loss. This study only described infants with normal hearing, and the authors say analysis of ears with defined hearing loss is required.