What Should an Adult REUG Look Like?

Introductory
10 mins
Reading
21 December 2021

Description

When a Real Ear Measurement probe tube is placed into the adult ear canal and a REUR test performed, we expect to see a typical result in associated with a typical anatomy of an adult ear. This is reflective of an ear (i.e. pinna, concha and external ear canal) that has an approximate ear canal length of 28mm and is essentially a tube closed at one end (by the tympanic membrane) and open at the other. Those that are younger (with shorter ear canals), or have had modifications to the ear anatomy through surgery or trauma, will not necessarily have the typical result. 

The typical adult ears natural resonance response produces amplification of incident sounds in the frequency range of around 1500 Hz to 7000 Hz, with a peak at approximately 2700 to 3000 Hz. When we review a REUR, this peak typically occurs with approximately 10-20dB of gain. An additional feature of the typical adult REUR is that there is little or no amplification below 1500 Hz.

The below graph displays an average REUG result in a typical adult ear canal.


Curve with dB as a function of kHz. From 0.25 to 1 kHz, the curve is at about 0 dB. It then rises to 10 to 15 dB at 2 to 4 kHz, after which it declines to just over 0 dB at 8 kHz.

REUG for “typical” adult ear taken from Interacoustics Affinity Suite software

An REUR is the same concept as a REUG but is displayed in dB SPL.

Related course: Getting started: Real ear measurements

Presenter

Michael Maslin
After working for several years as an audiologist in the UK, Michael completed his Ph.D. in 2010 at The University of Manchester. The topic was plasticity of the human binaural auditory system. He then completed a 3-year post-doctoral research program that built directly on the underpinning work carried out during his Ph.D. In 2015, Michael joined the Interacoustics Academy, offering training and education in audiological and vestibular diagnostics worldwide. Michael now works for the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, exploring his research interests which include electrophysiological measurement of the central auditory system, and the development of clinical protocols and clinical techniques applied in areas such as paediatric audiology and vestibular assessment and management.


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