title: Acoustic-immittance screening for detection of middle-ear effusion in children.
abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the following acoustic-immittance protocols and their constituent measures for detection of middle-ear effusion in children: (a) tympanometric width; (b) absent ipsilateral acoustic reflex; (c) ASHA guidelines; (d) tympanometric peak pressure; and (e) static-acoustic middle-ear admittance. The middle-ear sample was composed of 82 ears of 54 subjects ranging in age from 3 to 11 years. The control (normal-hearing, normal middle-ear) sample was composed of 53 ears of 53 subjects ranging in age from 3 to 10 years. Each subject was given a complete otolaryngologic evaluation (including pneumotoscopy and/or microtoscopy) and audiologic (including acoustic-immittance) evaluation. In the group of middle ears with normal-hearing sensitivity, the sensitivity and specificity of the ASHA guidelines were 63 percent and 79 percent, respectively. An acoustic-immittance screening protocol, based on all of the individual acoustic-immittance measures, and characterized by high sensitivity and specificity, is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Brooklyn College, CUNY.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silman
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Arick
mesh_terms: D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001299:Audiometry / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis*