Contralateral acoustic reflex thresholds for tonal activators using wideband energy reflectance and admittance

M. Patrick Feeney, Douglas H. Keefe, Lindsay P. Marryott

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

55 Scopus citations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new method for estimating the acoustic reflex threshold incorporating wideband (250-8000 Hz) measures of energy reflectance and admittance (M. P. Feeney & D. H. Keefe, 2001). The wideband technique incorporates both a correlation method to assess the pattern of the reflex-induced shifts in reflectance and admittance across frequency and a magnitude method to determine if the amplitude of the shifts exceeds baseline variability. Contralateral reflex thresholds for 1000- and 2000-Hz activators were obtained for 34 young adults with both the wideband method and a clinical method using a 226 Hz probe tone. Average reflex thresholds obtained with the new method were 12 to 13.7 dB lower than those obtained with the clinical method. When the bandwidth of analysis of admittance and reflectance responses was limited to 250 to 2000 Hz, the reduction in reflex thresholds was accompanied by the rejection of 96% of nonactivator-baseline responses as reflexes. The method holds promise for extending reflex threshold testing to patients with reflexes elevated beyond current equipment limits, for reducing the sound levels used in reflex testing, and for obtaining sensitive measures of reflex threshold in infants.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)128-136
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Volume46
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2003

Keywords

  • Admittance
  • Energy reflectance
  • Immittance
  • Middle ear
  • Reflex threshold

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Language and Linguistics
  • Linguistics and Language
  • Speech and Hearing

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