• Wesley W O Krueger and Ladonna Ferguson.
• Otology Group-San Antonio, 9150 Huebner Road, Suite 160, San Antonio, TX 78240, USA. wkruegermd@yahoo.com
• Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2002 Dec 1; 127 (6): 516-9.

ObjectiveWe sought to compare the findings of 3 different hearing screening methods in school-aged children.Study Design And SettingProspective testing of second- and third-grade students in their schools was carried out.MethodsThree hundred children (599 ears) were screened by using 3 test modalities, pure-tone audiometry, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), and tympanometry.ResultsAll of the tests were normal in 532 ears (89%), and all were abnormal in 12 ears (2%). Tympanometry yielded the most abnormalities (8.3%), and pure-tone testing demonstrated the fewest (3.3%), with a positive rate of 6.3% for DPOAE testing. False-positive rates were 1.2%, 4.2%, and 6.4% for pure tones, DPOAE, and tympanometry, respectively, when normal results on pure-tones or DPOAE were taken to represent true hearing.Conclusion/SignificanceWe continue to recommend pure-tone testing as an effective screening method, with follow-up by using otoacoustic emissions in those who fail the pure-tone test.

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