Energy Reflectance Tympanometry in Infants

描述(申请人提供)：本研究的目标是使用宽带能量反射鼓室导纳检查婴儿中耳的发育。具体地说，这项研究将检查1个月、3个月和6个月大的婴儿和年轻人的能量反射鼓室导纳。最近在成人和年龄较大的儿童中使用反射式鼓室导纳进行的研究表明，这种技术对中耳疾病比传统的中耳导纳更敏感，并且是传导性听力损失的良好预测指标。鉴于目前在新生儿听力筛查计划和后续随访中需要对婴儿和新生儿进行有效的中耳功能测试，因此在婴儿人群中应用能量反射式鼓室导纳具有重要的意义。据推测，外耳道压力的变化对婴儿耳朵的声学反应的影响不同于成人耳朵。正负压力对婴儿宽带反射模式的影响将在不同年龄表现出来，并与成年人的反应进行比较。这项研究的结果将促进我们对婴儿耳朵发育变化的理解，并为未来关于婴儿和新生儿中耳功能障碍的研究提供参考。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the present study is to examine the development of the infant middle ear using wideband energy reflectance tympanometry. Specifically, this study will examine energy reflectance tympanometry in 1-, 3-, and 6-month-old infants and young adults. Recent studies in adults and older children using reflectance tympanometry have shown this technique to be more sensitive to middle ear disorders than traditional middle ear admittance, as well as being a good predictor of conductive hearing loss. The application of energy reflectance tympanometry in an infant population is of significant interest in light of the current need for a valid test of middle ear function for infants and neonates in newborn hearing screening programs, and subsequent follow up. It is hypothesized that pressure changes in the external ear canal affect the acoustic responses from the infant ear differently than the adult ear. The effects of positive and negative pressure on wideband reflectance patterns in infants will be characterized across age and compared to adult responses. Results of this study will advance our understanding of developmental changes in the infant ear and inform future studies of middle ear dysfunction in infants and neonates.