High frequency (1000 HZ) tympanometry findings in newborns: Normative data using a component compensated admittance approach

Abstract

Recently clinicians have started to use a new approach, called the component compensation method, to evaluate middle ear function in newborn babies using high frequency (1000 Hz) tympanometry. The present study aimed to establish tympanometric normative data using this new method. Participants were 157 normal, healthy, full-term newborn babies with chronological age between 1 and 8 days. Normative data showing the 90 % range for tympanometric peak pressure, admittance at 200 daPa, uncompensated peak admittance, component compensated static admittance (YCC) and traditional baseline compensated static admittance (YBC) are provided. The results showed no significant gender and ear asymmetry effects, nor their interactions with any of the test parameters studied. YCC had a significantly higher mean value than YBC (1.02 0.46 versus 0.66 0.34 mmho). Given that ears with middle ear dysfunction often show severely reduced admittance values, the higher mean admittance result obtained from normal ears using the new method suggests that this method has the potential to better separate normal from abnormal admittance results. Furthermore, this method is mathematically sound since it takes into account the phase difference between admittance quantities when a 1000 Hz probe tone is used.