Rapid screening, threshold, and diagnostic tests for evaluation of hearing.

Abstract

A rapid screening, threshold, and diagnostic tests for evaluation of hearing includes techniques that are particularly suited for rapid objective hearing screening and evaluation of newborns or other patients who are unable or unwilling to provide reliable subjective responses. The hearing tests may be frequency specific or may evaluate overall hearing ability without special focus on frequency-specific loss. The tests involve the use of novel stimuli, signal processing, signal analysis, and statistical techniques, including the use of ramped stimuli and evaluating the changes that these stimuli evoke in the individual's brain activity at different moments in time.

1 . A method of performing a fine structure auditory test to evaluate the auditory system of a patient comprising:
 a. operating a processor to acoustically present at least one acoustic ramp stimulus to at least one ear of the patient, said ramp stimulus having at least two stimulus characteristics which ramp over time, and wherein said stimulus characteristics are intensity and at least one of the following: carrier frequency and carrier frequency of a masking stimulus;   b. operating a processor to record evoked response data from the patient to form response data;   c. operating a processor to perform signal analysis on said response data to generate processed data;   d. operating a processor to analyze the result data using time-frequency analysis to produce result data; and,   e. using the result data to evaluate the auditory system of said patient.   
     
     
         2 . The method of performing a fine structure auditory test of  claim 1  wherein the intensity is ramped as a function of the frequency ramp in order to provide approximately a constant SPL intensity level. 
     
     
         3 . The method of performing a fine structure auditory test of  claim 1  wherein the intensity is ramped as a function of the frequency ramp in order to provide approximately a constant HL intensity level. 
     
     
         4 . The method of performing a fine structure auditory test of  claim 2  wherein the test designed to be carried out using an ear insert transducer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of performing a fine structure auditory test of  claim 1  wherein at least one acoustic ramp stimulus comprises at least  2  stimuli, each having a unique modulation rate. 
     
     
         6 . The method of performing a fine structure auditory test of  claim 1  wherein at least one acoustic ramp stimulus comprises at least  3  stimuli, each having a unique modulation rate. 
     
     
         7 . The method of performing a fine structure auditory test of  claim 1  wherein at least one acoustic ramp stimulus comprises at least  4  stimuli, each having a unique modulation rate.