01 December 2012
The relationship between distortion product otoacoustic emissions and extended high-frequency audiometry in tinnitus patients. Part 1: Normally hearing patients with unilateral tinnitus
Anna FabijańskaABDE, Jacek SmurzyńskiACDEF, Stavros HatzopoulosDEF, Krzysztof KochanekDF, Grażyna BartnikBF, Danuta Raj-KoziakBF, Manuela MazzoliDF, Piotr H. SkarżyńskiDF, Wieslaw W. JędrzejczakDF, Agata SzkiełkowskaDF, Henryk SkarżyńskiDGDOI: 10.12659/MSM.883606
Med Sci Monit 2012; 18(12): CR765-770
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and extended high-frequency (EHF) thresholds in a control group and in patients with normal hearing sensitivity in the conventional frequency range and reporting unilateral tinnitus.
Material/Methods: Seventy patients were enrolled in the study: 47 patients with tinnitus in the left ear (Group 1) and 23 patients with tinnitus in the right ear (Group 2). The control group included 60 otologically normal subjects with no history of pathological tinnitus. Pure-tone thresholds were measured at all standard frequencies from 0.25 to 8 kHz, and at 10, 12.5, 14, and 16 kHz. The DPOAEs were measured in the frequency range from approximately 0.5 to 9 kHz using the primary tones presented at 65/55 dB SPL.
Results: The left ears of patients in Group 1 had higher median hearing thresholds than those in the control subjects at all 4 EHFs, and lower mean DPOAE levels than those in the controls for almost all primary frequencies, but significantly lower only in the 2-kHz region. Median hearing thresholds in the right ears of patients in Group 2 were higher than those in the right ears of the control subjects in the EHF range at 12.5, 14, and 16 kHz. The mean DPOAE levels in the right ears were lower in patients from Group 2 than those in the controls for the majority of primary frequencies, but only reached statistical significance in the 8-kHz region.
Conclusions: Hearing thresholds in tinnitus ears with normal hearing sensitivity in the conventional range were higher in the EHF region than those in non-tinnitus control subjects, implying that cochlear damage in the basal region may result in the perception of tinnitus. In general, DPOAE levels in tinnitus ears were lower than those in ears of non-tinnitus subjects, suggesting that subclinical cochlear impairment in limited areas, which can be revealed by DPOAEs but not by conventional audiometry, may exist in tinnitus ears. For patients with tinnitus, DPOAE measures combined with behavioral EHF hearing thresholds may provide additional clinical information about the status of the peripheral hearing.
Keywords: Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous - physiology, Hearing - physiology, Ear - physiopathology, Case-Control Studies, Auditory Threshold - physiology, Audiometry, Pure-Tone, Adolescent, Tinnitus - physiopathology, young adult
1287 20
Editorial
01 May 2023 : Editorial
Editorial: Twenty Years On from Sequencing the Human Genome, Personalized/Precision Oncology Prepares to Meet the Challenges of Checkpoint Inhibitor TherapyDOI: 10.12659/MSM.940911
Med Sci Monit 2023; 29:e940911
In Press
31 May 2023 : Review article
Prevalence, Diagnosis, and Management of Eclampsia and the Need for Improved Maternal Care: A ReviewMed Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.939919
30 May 2023 : Clinical Research
A Case-Control Study of Cognitive Function in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Before and After Hemodi...Med Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.940409
30 May 2023 : Review article
A Review of the Role of the Zebrafish (Danio reiro) in Preclinical and Clinical Models of Biomarker Identif...Med Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.940550
30 May 2023 : Database Analysis
The COVID-19 Crisis and the Incidence of Alcohol-Related Deaths in PolandMed Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.940904
Most Viewed Current Articles
13 Nov 2021 : Clinical Research
Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination and Its Associated Factors Among Cancer Patients Attending the Oncology ...DOI :10.12659/MSM.932788
Med Sci Monit 2021; 27:e932788
30 Dec 2021 : Clinical Research
Retrospective Study of Outcomes and Hospitalization Rates of Patients in Italy with a Confirmed Diagnosis o...DOI :10.12659/MSM.935379
Med Sci Monit 2021; 27:e935379
08 Mar 2022 : Review article
A Review of the Potential Roles of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Pharmacological Approaches for the Man...DOI :10.12659/MSM.936292
Med Sci Monit 2022; 28:e936292
01 Jan 2022 : Editorial
Editorial: Current Status of Oral Antiviral Drug Treatments for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Non-Hospitalized Pa...DOI :10.12659/MSM.935952
Med Sci Monit 2022; 28:e935952