Training in Wideband Tympanometry
Optimizing the wideband tympanometry measurement technique
Description
Summary of: Liu, Y. W., Sanford, C. A., Ellison, J. C., Fitzpatrick, D. F., Gorga, M. P., & Keefe, D. H. (2008). Wideband absorbance tympanometry using pressure sweeps: system development and results on adults with normal hearing. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 124(6), 3708–3719. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3001712
Prior to this study, the ability to record wideband tympanometry was both time consuming and clinically unfriendly as measurement systems were unable to automatically control the pump pressure and wideband tympanometry. Therefore, wideband tympanometry had to be performed at fixed static pressure points. This study introduces the methodology behind how wideband tympanometry has been made clinically viable. The aim of the study was to investigate the concept of automatically sweeping the air pressure to measure the wideband tympanometry with the hope that this would reduce test time. It also aimed to see the effects of how pressure sweeps affect test result interpretation. Ambient and pressurized wideband absorbance was obtained from 92 adult ears with normal hearing. The results showed that test time reduced from around 40 seconds using traditional methods to 1.5 – 7 seconds using the modified test procedure. The ambient pressure results showed parity with normative data from previous studies. The pressurized sweep results showed that absorbance at peak tympanic pressure is not significantly affected by sweep speed but when compared to absorbance measured at ambient levels, the peak tympanic pressure shows higher absorbance at frequencies below 2000Hz. This suggests that two sets of normative data should be used to measure absorbance depending on the testing method.
