Biomaterial Database

Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in two infants. 2009

Kimitaka Kaga, and Yusuke Akamatsu, and Masako Nakamura, and Hideaki Sakata

National Institute of Sensory Organs, National Tokyo Medical Center, Tokyo. kimikaga-tky@umin.ac.jp

CONCLUSIONS We regard spontaneous otoacoustic emission (SOAE) as a unique phenomenon due to spontaneous outer hair cell hyperactivity during the infantile period in these two infants. OBJECTIVE We report the cases of SOAEs in two infants, which were audible to their parents. We were able to hear continuous sounds from these two infants' ears. We studied their hearing and the emitted sounds objectively. METHODS Patient 1 was a 5-month-old girl and patient 2 was an 11-month-old girl. Their parents heard continuous sounds emanating from their infants' ears. Audiological examinations and frequency analysis were conducted. RESULTS The distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) of the two patients were normal. Analysis of the continuous sounds demonstrated frequencies of 4.2 and 6.5 kHz for patient 1 and 6.7 kHz for patient 2. These audible sounds were diagnosed as SOAEs. The SOAEs in these infants did not disappear with their development in the last 2 years.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D003051	Cochlea	The part of the inner ear (LABYRINTH) that is concerned with hearing. It forms the anterior part of the labyrinth, as a snail-like structure that is situated almost horizontally anterior to the VESTIBULAR LABYRINTH.	Cochleas
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001299	Audiometry	The testing of the acuity of the sense of hearing to determine the thresholds of the lowest intensity levels at which an individual can hear a set of tones. The frequencies between 125 and 8000 Hz are used to test air conduction thresholds and the frequencies between 250 and 4000 Hz are used to test bone conduction thresholds.	Audiometries
D017084	Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous	Self-generated faint acoustic signals from the inner ear (COCHLEA) without external stimulation. These faint signals can be recorded in the EAR CANAL and are indications of active OUTER AUDITORY HAIR CELLS. Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions are found in all classes of land vertebrates.	Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emissions,Otoacoustic Emission, Spontaneous,Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emission