Spectrum Hearing Center
Today Eloise had an appointment at the Spectrum Health Hearing Center on Michigan Street. This appointment was a referral from her doctor after we mentioned at her last doctors appointment that Early On had given Eloise two Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) tests(see below for explanation), one in October and one in December. Both of the tests resulted in her passing on her right and referring on her left. At the appointment today Eloise was given a hearing test in which I sat in a sound proof booth with Elie on my lap. The audiologist spoke to Elie through speakers on each side of the booth and then made sounds at different intervals to see if she reacted and turned the right way to identify which way the sound was coming from. She passed this test within normal limits for her age so we knew that there was no hearing loss which was a great relief. The audiologist then performed a Middle ear analysis, tympanometry, (see explanation below) on her. Her right ear showed within normal range again but her left ear came back as a flat line. The audiologist stated that this usually means there is fluid or wax behind the ear drum and that we needed to follow up with our primary care physician to have her ear checked for an ear infection. I was a little surprised at this statement. I would assume that they could check for ear infections there but I later determined they must only be a hearing center. So she is sending the results of the tests to our doctor as we are to follow up with him. I will be calling later today to see what our next step should be.
**Update-The MA from our doctors office called last night and said that the doctor looked over the report from the hearing center and has put in a prescription for amoxicillin. I went to meijer last night and had it filled and gave Elie her first dose before bed. I am very curious to see if there is any change in her with the medicine. She is a good baby but has not been eating very good, doesn't want to be spoon fed and screams at varies times but always stops when she is picked up. I have just figured this was due to the teeth that are coming through but now I wonder if maybe it is more to do with her ear. She has had minor fevers here and there but again nothing more than signs of general teething. The social worker is scheduled to come out next wednesday and I am going to ask her to bring her OAE and test Elie again to see if there is any change now that she is on the antibiotics. She will not be completely done with it but close enough that we should be able to detect a change.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are clinically important because they are the basis of a simple, non-invasive, test for hearing defects in newborn babies and in children who are too young to cooperate in conventional hearing tests. An otoacoustic emission test measures an acoustic response that is produced by the inner ear (cochlea), which in essence bounces back out of the ear in response to a sound stimulus. The test is performed by placing a small probe that contains a microphone and speaker into the ear. As the patient rests quietly, sounds are generated in the probe and responses that come back from the cochlea are recorded. Once the cochlea processes the sound, an electrical stimulus is sent to the brainstem. In addition, there is a second and separate sound that does not travel up the nerve, but comes back out into the ear canal. This “byproduct” is the otoacoustic emission. The emission is then recorded with the microphone probe and represented pictorially on a computer screen. The audiologist can determine which sounds yielded a response/emission and the strength of those responses. OAEs can be recorded on people at virtually any age, from shortly after birth to well above age 80. For example, research has shown that babies with normal hearing have measurable OAEs as soon as six hours after birth. Each ear is tested separately and a pass/refer determination is made by the audiologist.
This is an example of one type of OAE device.
Tympanometry is a testing methodology that is used to evaluate the function of the middle ear. It provides a graphic representation of the relationship of air pressure in the external ear canal to impedance (resistance to movement) of the ear drum and middle ear system.This impedance measurement examines the acoustic resistance of the middle ear. If the eardrum is hit by a sound, part of the sound is absorbed and sent via the middle ear to the inner ear while the other part of the sound is reflected. The information derived from tympanometry provides the physician with additional information regarding the patient’s middle ear function. In a pediatric population this is typically to document or rule out the presence of otitis media, tympanic membrane perforation or Eustachian tube dysfunction. The test is non-invasive and does not require any response from the patient. Typical test time for both ears is less than two minutes.
**Update-The MA from our doctors office called last night and said that the doctor looked over the report from the hearing center and has put in a prescription for amoxicillin. I went to meijer last night and had it filled and gave Elie her first dose before bed. I am very curious to see if there is any change in her with the medicine. She is a good baby but has not been eating very good, doesn't want to be spoon fed and screams at varies times but always stops when she is picked up. I have just figured this was due to the teeth that are coming through but now I wonder if maybe it is more to do with her ear. She has had minor fevers here and there but again nothing more than signs of general teething. The social worker is scheduled to come out next wednesday and I am going to ask her to bring her OAE and test Elie again to see if there is any change now that she is on the antibiotics. She will not be completely done with it but close enough that we should be able to detect a change.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are clinically important because they are the basis of a simple, non-invasive, test for hearing defects in newborn babies and in children who are too young to cooperate in conventional hearing tests. An otoacoustic emission test measures an acoustic response that is produced by the inner ear (cochlea), which in essence bounces back out of the ear in response to a sound stimulus. The test is performed by placing a small probe that contains a microphone and speaker into the ear. As the patient rests quietly, sounds are generated in the probe and responses that come back from the cochlea are recorded. Once the cochlea processes the sound, an electrical stimulus is sent to the brainstem. In addition, there is a second and separate sound that does not travel up the nerve, but comes back out into the ear canal. This “byproduct” is the otoacoustic emission. The emission is then recorded with the microphone probe and represented pictorially on a computer screen. The audiologist can determine which sounds yielded a response/emission and the strength of those responses. OAEs can be recorded on people at virtually any age, from shortly after birth to well above age 80. For example, research has shown that babies with normal hearing have measurable OAEs as soon as six hours after birth. Each ear is tested separately and a pass/refer determination is made by the audiologist.
This is an example of one type of OAE device.
Tympanometry is a testing methodology that is used to evaluate the function of the middle ear. It provides a graphic representation of the relationship of air pressure in the external ear canal to impedance (resistance to movement) of the ear drum and middle ear system.This impedance measurement examines the acoustic resistance of the middle ear. If the eardrum is hit by a sound, part of the sound is absorbed and sent via the middle ear to the inner ear while the other part of the sound is reflected. The information derived from tympanometry provides the physician with additional information regarding the patient’s middle ear function. In a pediatric population this is typically to document or rule out the presence of otitis media, tympanic membrane perforation or Eustachian tube dysfunction. The test is non-invasive and does not require any response from the patient. Typical test time for both ears is less than two minutes.
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