2020 Volume 30 Issue 4 Pages 232-238
The second-generation acoustic reflectometer (spectral gradient acoustic reflectometer; SG-AR) can be used as an alternative method for detecting middle-ear fluid. This study aimed to assess the applicability of the second-generation EarCheck® for diagnosing acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME), as compared to the first-generation acoustic otoscope. A total of 167 children (178 ears) aged ≦10 years, were examined using two different acoustic reflectometers. SG-AR level was normal 1.14 ± 0.35 (mean ± SD), OME 2.88 ± 1.15, AOM 2.33 ± 1.15, and significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed when comparing OME with normal and AOM with normal. Using SG-AR level ≧2 as a criterion for an abnormal finding, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing OME were 93% and 86%, respectively. Using the same criterion, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing AOM were 75% and 86%, respectively. The SG-AR does not require a seal in the external auditory canal; so, reading can be obtained from an uncooperative child. SG-AR use cannot replace otoscopy and pneumatic otoscopy. Moreover, SG-AR is not useful in differentiating AOM from OME. It is a diagnostic aid with a performance similar to that of tympanometry, and the two technologies complement each other.
