Abstract
Currently, the promontory stimulation test (PST) is the most frequently used electrical stimulation method to confirm the level of electroneural hearing. However, since it requires to place a needle through the tympanic membrane, it is a difficult procedure to perform in infants. The recently developed silver ball electrode for infants by Med-E1, on the other hand, can perform electrical stimulation by just placing a silver ball electrode close to the tympanic membrane. By using this method, we compared it with the traditional needle electrode and evaluated the hearing of the better ear, and thus examined the possibility of clinical applications.
The results of this investigation revealed that in the deaf ear, both the needle electrode and the silver ball electrode could induce a sound sensation, but the latter needed a higher electric current. Also, as with the previously reported needle electrode studies, the positive ratio was lower in the better ear.
From the results, it was concluded that this method could be used to evaluate electroneural hearing in the clinical field.
