Typanometry Essay

Tympanometry is an examination that provides information about the middle ear function and is a standard clinical procedure for neonates. Typanometry is conducted when the patient is seated in an upright positon with the probe horizontally in the ear canal and pointing medially towards the tympanic membrane. Neonates tend to be tested lying in a cot with one ear facing up and the head in a horizontal position and probe in a vertical position. The authors provided adequate background about how head position may alter tympanometry, as they explain that different head positions relate to different body positions. The authors introduce a research study that explained how body position can affect tympanometric measurements. This study showed how …show more content…
All neonates passed an automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) test and a transient evoked otoacoustic emission test (TEOAE), which showed that the neonates had no hearing loss. After the newborns passed the AABR test, they were tested using TEOAEs and HFT in a non-sound-treated room. Ambient noise levels were measured using a CSL-254 sound level meter and ambient noise levels ranged from 35-38 dB A. TEOAEs were measured using the Quickscreen method from the Otodynamics IL0292 Analyser. In the newborns, 260 quiet responses per ear were analyzed to evoke TEOAEs. HFT measurements were obtained using a Madsen Otoflex 100 diagnostic immittance device coupled to a laptop. Before each session of testing, the diagnostic immittance device was calibrated using an inbuilt 2-ml cavity. After calibration, a probe tip inserted into the participant’s ear canal with the probe in the vertical position while the participant’s head was in a face sideways position. After the test, the participant’s head was turned faced up and the probe was in the participant’s ear horizontally. The independent variables were the subjects gender and ear, and the dependent variable were the HFT measurements of two different head positions in