Field-Deployable Intensimetric Probe System for Early Diagnosis and Monitoring of Noised-Induced Hearing Loss and Traumatic Middle Ear Injury
Abstract
Compromised hearing health due to noise-induced hearing loss and traumatic middle-ear injury may jeopardize a Service Member s ability to be deployed or perform communication-critical job duties. Noise-induced hearing loss is a leading cause of medical referral for Service Members returning from deployments, while traumatic middle-ear injury occurs in a majority of Service Members with traumatic brain injury. Currently, the accurate detection and triaging of inner- and middle-ear injuries can only be performed in a clinical setting, primarily using audiometry. Otoacoustic emissions, which are low-level sounds produced by healthy outer hair cells in the cochlea, can indicate the occurrence of noise-induced inner-ear injury when their levels are very low or undetectable. The measurement of otoacoustic emissions along with audiometry can improve diagnostic specificity. However, current otoacoustic emissions devices are sensitive to probe placement in the ear canal, both of which can introduce errors that compromise measurements. A new type of probe calibration, called Thevenin calibration, takes into account how well sound can travel through the ear drum and bones of the ear, and reduces the errors due to probe placement. In addition, the ability to measure how well sound travels through the middle ear can provide information that helps clinicians diagnose abnormal ear function. Some commercial devices currently provide the capability to perform Thevenin calibration, but the process is complex and requires daily procedures. As a result, this technique has not been adopted in the clinic. We have built a portable device that can measure sound transmission through the ear but circumvents the need for Thevenin calibration by including two sensors: a microphone for sensing acoustic pressure, and a velocimeter for sensing acoustic velocity. As a result, this device could make it much easier to obtain the needed measurements in clinical and field settings. The objectives of this project are to further develop this highly innovative prototype and validate its accuracy and clinical potential. We will evaluate whether measurements made with the device are accurate and reliable when compared to existing state-of-the-art system. We will also evaluate the device s ability to help with the diagnosis of hearing injury in Service Members and Veterans. This will enable both the evaluation and the application of preventative therapies and treatments for hearing injuries. Therefore, the proposed research is relevant to military, Veteran, and the civilian populations because it applies scientific knowledge and engineering to address hearing loss, which affects more than 48 million people in the U.S.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110658
Entities
People
- Gabrielle Merchant
Organizations
- United States Army