title: Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in infants: effects of gender, ear asymmetry and activity status.
abstract: This study examined the effects of gender, ear asymmetry and activity status of infants on various measures of transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE), including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and reproducibility of emissions, using TEOAE as a mass screening procedure in a community health setting. Five hundred and sixty-eight infants were screened for hearing at two months of age, before immunization. The ILO88 Otodynamic Analyzer Quickscreen program was used for all testing with pass/fail criteria similar to those used in the Rhode Island hearing assessment project. The results indicated a significant difference in SNR across sex, with females showing a higher mean SNR. The right ear was found to have higher values in 'reproducibility' and 'response level' than the left ear. A significant difference in SNR across activity states was also evident. Implications from these findings, as applied to community-based screening programs, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kei
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McPherson
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Latham
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Loscher
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D003051:Cochlea / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D012737:Sex Factors