Clinical Usefulness of Wideband Absorbance in Children
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Evaluation of the Clinical Usefulness of Wideband Absorbance Measures as a Predictor of Conductive Hearing Loss in Children
IRAS ID
226890
Contact name
Scott Richards
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aston University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
Glue ear is a common middle ear disorder in children aged two to seven-years, and is the most common cause of childhood hearing loss.
Glue ear, and its associated ‘conductive hearing loss’ – hearing loss affecting the outer and middle ear- has been linked to decreased academic performance, especially when it is recurrent. However, early detection of this hearing loss may be difficult when the child is not compliant for a hearing assessment.
Tympanometry is a test frequently used to detect glue ear in children. However, issues also surround the clinical usefulness of tympanometry.
A test called wideband tympanometry, which is a variation of tympanometry, is a relatively new approach to assessing the function of the middle ear. It gives more information than standard tympanometry, and it can be used in the diagnosis of various middle ear disorders.
Wideband absorbance, a component of wideband tympanometry, has been investigated for effectiveness in the detection of conductive hearing loss, and has been found to be a more accurate predictor than classic tympanometry.
Although wideband absorbance tympanometry is regularly used in clinics across the country, to-date, there has been no research into its use in the detection of glue ear in children. Therefore, its clinical usefulness in this population should be investigated.
The aim of the study is to assess whether wideband absorbance is related to the severity of conductive hearing loss that is secondary to glue ear. The study will also compare average wideband absorbance of a group of children without glue ear to the group of children with glue ear.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/2092
Date of REC Opinion
9 Dec 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion