Test-Retest Reliability of Pure Tone Audiometry from 250 Hz TO 16 kHz

Abstract

Pure tone audiometry, especially the extended high-frequency pure tone audiometry, is a promising and valuable tool for the early detection of ototoxicity in adults. However, extended high-frequency audiometry is not used extensively in standard clinical practices, probably because of the lack of information about its test-retest reliability. Several applications, as in cases with ototoxicity, require two or more measurements separated in time by days to weeks, hence requiring removal and placement of transducer again. However, there is no study evaluating the inter-session test-retest reliability, especially estimated across multiple sessions. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the inter-session test-retest reliability of pure tone audiometric thresholds measured in the frequency range of 250 Hz-16 kHz. Auditory thresholds in the frequency range from 250 Hz to 16 kHz were measured in one ear of 160 otologically healthy subjects in the age range of 18-35 years. There was no significant difference among the sessions, and the average measure ICC for all the frequencies were >0.9. Therefore, pure-tone audiometry, including the extended high-frequency audiometry, lends itself to applications requiring multiple measurements, such as monitoring the damage due to noise exposure and ototoxic drugs and the outcomes of surgeries. Given the present study had a big data set, the results are generalizable.