Otoacoustic emission as an objective hearing test tool

Abstract

We reviewed recent progress in otoacoustic emission (OAE) as an objective hearing test tool. OAE features the advantage of objective, noninvasive measurement of the ear's ability to process acoustic stimuli. Since its discovery in 1978, numerous clinical applications have been established, including their utility in screening cochlear function in infants and other difficult-to-test patients, in the monitoring of outer hair cell function in patients exposed to potentially damaging agents or who have progressive hearing loss, and in the differential diagnosis of sensorineural hearing loss. OAE has thus become the standard tool for hearing screening in pediatric patients.