CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Laryngorhinootologie 2018; 97(S 02): S181
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1640339
Poster
Otologie: Otology

Direct-Drive-Pure-Tone-Audiometry and Direct-Drive-Speech-Audiometry

B Hallak
1   Uniklinik Würzburg, Würzburg
,
S Kaulitz
2   Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg
,
W Schehata-Dieler
2   Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg
,
R Hagen
2   Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg
,
M Cebulla
2   Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg
› Author Affiliations
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Introduction:

The direct drive simulation (DDS) offers patients a preoperative sound simulation of the active middle ear implant "Vibrant Soundbridge®. The floating mass transducer (FMT) is placed on the eardrum or on the tympanic membrane graft, where the signals are applied. The aim of this study was to develop and to evaluate a specific Direct Drive-Pure-Tone-Audiometry (DD-PTA) as well as a Direct-Drive-Speech-Audiometry (DD-SA).

Material and Methods:

20 normal hearing subjects were tested. Pure-tone-audiometry and speech-audiometry were performed via the DDS-FMT connected to the output of a standard audiometer. The results were compared to measurements via insert headphones.

Results:

The median DD-PTA threshold per frequency was: 125 Hz/55dB, 250 Hz/40dB, 500 Hz/25dB, 1 kHz/10dB, 2 kHz/10dB, 3 kHz/20dB, 4 kHz/20dB, 6 kHz/15dB, 8 kHz/15dB. The maximal interindividual frequency variation was 30dB. In the DD-SA the median intelligibility for monosyllabic words was measured to be 100% at 65dB, and the median for 50% speech discrimination of numbers was 30dB.

Discussion:

The DD-PTA threshold curve was congruent with the non-linear frequency characteristics of the FMT. The DD-SA yielded equivalent results with the corresponding DD-PTA threshold.

Conclusions:

DD-PTA and DD-SA are possible examinations that could be used in the daily clinical routine. DDS-PTA seems to be a useful indicator of coupling quality and therefore of interest for the development of DD-BERA as an objective preoperative test procedure. DD-SA may have prognostic value preoperatively as well. Further test results pre and post treatment with a VSB will be evaluated.



Publication History

Publication Date:
18 April 2018 (online)

© 2018. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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