Distortion product otoacoustic emissions in patients with King-Kopetzky syndrome.
In the present study, mild impairment of cochlear function in patients with King-Kopetzky syndrome was investigated using DPOAEs. A significant decrease in DPOAE levels in both ears was found in patients with King-Kopetzky syndrome compared with the controls after considering the thresholds as a co-variable. It is noteworthy that the global mean levels of DPOAEs were still significantly greater in controls than in patients with matched thresholds. Further frequency analyses showed a significant decrease in DPOAE levels over the mid- and high-frequency range in patients with better hearing thresholds when compared with those in the control group. Moreover, significantly smaller DPOAEs were found in the ears of patients with King-Kopetzky syndrome and without SOAEs, than in such ears of control subjects after considering the thresholds as a co-variable. However, when SOAEs were present there was no difference. Decreases in DPOAE level appear to represent evidence of minor cochlear pathology, and provide a pathological basis for the difficulty of hearing speech in the presence of background noise, which characterizes King-Kopetzky syndrome.
School of Health Science University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, UK. f.zhao@swan.ac.uk
Fei
F
Zhao
Dafydd
D
Stephens
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001308:Auditory Perceptual Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology*; D013577:Syndrome