Subclinical changes of auditory function in the aged

Abstract

Quaranta A, Salonna I, Longo G. Subclinical changes of auditory function in the aged. Acta Otolaryngol (Stockh) 1991; Suppl. 476: 91—96.

Elderly normal hearing subjects were studied using tests for cochlear functions (remote masking, brief tone audiometry, critical ratio, evoked otoacoustic emission), for neural auditory function (tone decay) and for central auditory functions (ipsilateral vs. contralat—eral acoustic reflex, tonal masking level difference). The findings demonstrated that ageing can cause subclinical abnormalities, almost consistently localized to the inner ear vibrating structures and only occasionally to the sensory and/or neural elements.