https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8404-0672
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Abstract
Objective
The purpose of the study was to determine the reliability in children of the medial olivocochlear reflex when measured as decibels of suppression of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) by contralateral acoustic stimulation (CAS).
Design
TEOAEs with and without CAS (white noise) were measured. In each subject, measurements were performed twice. Of particular interest was the suppression of TEOAEs by CAS and its reliability. Reliability was evaluated by calculating the standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimum detectable change (MDC).
Study sample
Fifty-one normally hearing girls aged 3–6 years.
Results
The average global TEOAE suppression was around 0.6 dB. The highest reliability was for global values, with SEM of 0.2 dB and MDC of ±0.55 dB for the standard 2.5–20 ms recording window and slightly higher values for an 8–18 ms window. The worst reliability in the studied group was for the 1 kHz half-octave frequency band. Additionally, ears without spontaneous otoacoustic emissions had higher suppression levels than those with, but they also had lower signal-to-noise ratios, which may limit their clinical utility.
Conclusions
The current study shows that, under the studied paradigm, TEOAE suppression does not have satisfactory reliability since MDC was similar to the level of suppression.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Andrew Bell for comments on an earlier version of this article and Joanna Rajchel for assistance with data collection.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.