Inner ear pressure evaluation using wideband tympanometry in children with Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome (LVAS): A pilot study

Lifang Zhang, Jie Wang, Fei Zhao, Yongxin Li*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: To investigate middle ear function in children with Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome (LVAS) to explore the feasibility of measuring inner ear pressure using Wideband tympanometry (WBT). Methods: 13 young children with LVAS were recruited. WBT and other audiological measurements i.e., Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR), Auditory Brain Stem Response (ABR), and Distorted Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) were performed. Absorbance under ambient and peak pressure were compared with normative data, and analyzed using a one sample t-test. Results: Average absorbance in children with LVAS was significantly lower than normative data under ambient pressure at 1000, 1189, 1296, 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz. Absorbance under peak pressure was also significantly lower at 707, 794, 917, 1000, 1189, 1297, 1498 and 2000 Hz. However, absorbance was higher than standard values above 4000 Hz under ambient and peak pressure. It was also higher under ambient pressure at frequencies below 500 Hz. Conclusion: The special characteristics of middle ear function found in children with Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome (LVAS) indicate that WBT offers a sensitive and non-invasive method to evaluate inner ear pressure indirectly.

Original languageEnglish
Article number109690
JournalInternational Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
Volume128
Early online date19 Sept 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2019

Keywords

  • Absorbance
  • Inner ear pressure
  • Large vestibular aqueduct syndrome
  • Wideband tympanometry

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