The efficacy of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions in the detection of middle-ear pathology.

Background: Transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) is an objective diagnostic method of assessing the cochlear status. The aim of this study was to present the results of hearing screening in children and to evaluate TEOAEs in the diagnosis of middle-ear pathology compared with tympanometry and pure-tone audiometry.

Material/methods: A group of school-aged children underwent otolaryngological evaluation, tympanometry, TEOAEs, and audiometry. We analyzed data from both ears with abnormal tympanograms and ears with normal tympanograms but abnormal otoscopic findings or positive otologic history. Included in our study were 497 ears.

Results: Two hundred ten (42%) ears had a tympanogram of type A, 102 (20.5%) of type B, and 185 (37.5%) of type C. Otoacoustic emissions were found in 200 (95%), 37 (36%), and 145 (78%) of these ears, respectively. In ears with a tympanogram of B type and present otoacoustic emissions, a pure-tone average (PTA) worse than 30 dB HL was found in 16 ears (43%), whereas in ears with a tympanogram of B type and absent otoacoustic emissions, PTA worse than 30 dB HL was found in 47 ears (72.3%). The respective numbers for ears with a tympanogram of C type were 18 (12.4%) and 19 (47.5%).

Conclusions: TEOAEs may be recorded in significant percentages of ears with abnormal tympanograms and middle-ear pathology. Although the sensitivity of this method is low, it may be used in conjunction with other methods of evaluating the middle ear and may give some information about the hearing status of the ear.