Tympanometry

- Introduction, purpose, scope and audience

Introduction:

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.

Scope:

The  recommendations are deemed suitable for routine clinical measurements applicable to most types of instruments measuring aural acoustic impedance/ admittance using  a nominal probe frequency of 226 Hz for subjects whose corrected age is equal to or greater than 6 months (i.e. at least 6 months from the child’s due date), and 1000 Hz for subjects below 6 months corrected age.

Target audience:

Audiovestibular physicians