Efficacy and feasibility of 226 Hz and 1000 Hz tympanometry in healthy pediatric patients

Abstract

Objectives: Tympanometric evaluation of middle ear with 226 Hertz (Hz) frequency probe has been widelyused in patients with suspected middle ear and Eustachian tube disorders. However most of the recent studieswere demonstrated that tympanometric examination with 1000 Hz frequency probe was superior to 226 Hzfrequency probe examination to detect middle ear disorders affecting middle ear admittance especially forinfants. The objective(s) of this study was to compare the reliability and feasibility of 226 Hz and 1000 Hztympanometric results in normal hearing healthy pediatric group of patients.Methods: In this study, we evaluated normal healthy pediatric patients with 226 and 1000 Hz frequency probetympanometry for the aim of comparing efficacy and detecting the rate of false negative tympanometric findingsin these subjects. Forty-nine (98 ears) healthy pediatric patients (25 males and 24 females) were enrolled inthe study and all of the patients were younger than 18 years of age. Oto-microscopic examination wasperformed to all of the patients as a gold standard.Results: The mean age was 9.3 ± 4.46 years old with a range from 3 to 17 years. The mean values of 226 Hztympanometric measurement of right ears for ear volume, compliance, pressure and gradient were 74 ± 28.10,59 ± 38.96, -46 ± 92.38 and 36 ±3 3.22, respectively; these values for the left ears were 84 ± 65.94, 51 ± 31.00,-57 ± 102.05 and 30 ± 23.35, respectively. The mean values of 1000 Hz tympanometric measurement of rightears for ear volume, compliance and pressure were 78 ± 23.03, 172 ± 85.04 and -22 ± 110.70, respectively;these values for the left ears were 64 ± 32.05, 147 ± 104.70, and 0 ± 98.20, respectively.Conclusions: We found that there was no superiority of the usage of 1000 Hz tympanometry to 226 Hztympanometry in normal hearing healthy pediatric patients who were equal or older than 3 years of age.