title: [Prediction of speech audiometry as compared to pure-tone audiometry in the estimation of the importance of noise].
abstract: The fitness of the Belgian Air Force pilots is ruled by Royal Decrees which prescribe the tolerated tonal hearing-loss. The tonal audiometry gives only the audiometry threshold of some frequencies. Vocal audiometry, with or without masking, gives elements of audition, understanding, discrimination and integration of the examined patient. We advise a vocal control for each patient who might be put aside of his professional environment according to his tonal audiometry. Complementary examination should allow to not turn down definitely experienced pilots with a bad tonal threshold but with good psycho-acoustic performance. We have selected and tested by tonal and vocal audiometry fifty pilots of the Belgian Air Force with a tonal hearing-loss which, according to the actual medico-legal criteria, should have limited flight aptitudes. Using the method of multiple regression we developed a probability formula based on the tonal threshold which gives us the vocal threshold. According to this study the frequencies 500 and 1000 Hz play a major role in the understanding of the human voice, this with or without a simultaneous masking. Each subject whose arithmetical average of tonal hearing-loss on the frequencies 500 and 1000 Hz is equal or superior to 15 dB, should be deeply controlled on his vocal performances. Our probability formula establishes indeed that those subjects have higher understanding risk problems. The method of multiple regressions has allowed us to establish that the discrimination of sensorineural hearing-impaired listeners in noisy environment is significatively less than the one of normal persons.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001299:Audiometry; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D001530:Belgium; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests
vernacular_title: Essai de prédiction de l'audiométrie vocale au départ de l'audiométrie tonale et appréciation de l'importance du bruitage.