School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Equine Vet J. 2013 Jan;45(1):60-5. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00542.x. Epub 2012 Feb 2.
Deafness has been reported in horses due to a variety of causes and objective auditory assessment has been performed with brainstem auditory evoked potential testing. Evoked otoacoustic emission (OAE) tests are widely used in human patients for hearing screening, detecting partial hearing loss (including frequency-specific hearing loss) and monitoring cochlear outer hair cell function over time. OAE tests are noninvasive, quick and affordable. Two types of OAE are commonly used clinically: transient evoked OAEs (TEOAEs) and distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs). Detection of OAEs has not been reported and OAE testing has not been evaluated for auditory assessment in horses.
To investigate whether TEOAEs and DPOAEs can be recorded in horses, and to evaluate the use of human OAE screening protocols in horses with apparently normal hearing.
Sixteen systemically healthy horses with normal behavioural responses to sound were included. OAE testing was performed during general anaesthesia using commercially available equipment and the final outcome for each ear for the TEOAE test (after a maximum of 3 runs) and the DPOAE test (after one run) were compared.
TEOAEs and DPOAEs can be recorded in horses. Using the chosen TEOAE protocol, 96% of ears achieved a pass. Seventy percent of ears passed DPOAE testing, despite all of these ears passing TEOAE testing.
Using the chosen stimulus and analysis protocols, TEOAEs were recorded from most ears; however, a smaller proportion of ears passed the DPOAE protocol, suggesting that this may be overly stringent and require further optimisation in horses.
OAE testing is rapid and easily performed in anaesthetised horses. It provides frequency-specific information about outer hair cell function, and is a promising tool for audiological assessment in the horse; however, it has not been assessed in conscious or sedated animals.
由于各种原因，马已经出现了耳聋的情况，并且已经通过脑干听觉诱发电位测试对其进行了客观的听觉评估。诱发耳声发射（OAE）测试在人类患者中广泛用于听力筛查，检测部分听力损失（包括频率特异性听力损失）并随时间监测耳蜗外毛细胞的功能。OAE 测试是非侵入性的、快速的且价格合理的。临床上通常使用两种类型的 OAE：瞬态诱发耳声发射（TEOAEs）和畸变产物耳声发射（DPOAEs）。尚未报道 OAE 的检测，也尚未评估 OAE 测试在听觉评估中的应用。
研究是否可以在马中记录 TEOAEs 和 DPOAEs，并评估人类 OAE 筛选方案在具有正常听力的马中的应用。
纳入 16 匹系统健康且对声音有正常行为反应的马。使用市售设备在全身麻醉下进行 OAE 测试，比较每个耳朵的 TEOAE 测试（最多进行 3 次运行后）和 DPOAE 测试（进行 1 次运行后）的最终结果。
可以在马中记录 TEOAEs 和 DPOAEs。使用所选的 TEOAE 方案，96%的耳朵通过测试。尽管所有耳朵都通过了 TEOAE 测试，但有 70%的耳朵通过了 DPOAE 测试。
使用所选的刺激和分析方案，大多数耳朵都记录到了 TEOAEs；但是，较小比例的耳朵通过了 DPOAE 测试，这表明该测试可能过于严格，需要在马中进一步优化。
在麻醉马中，OAE 测试快速且易于进行。它提供了外毛细胞功能的频率特异性信息，是马听觉评估的有前途的工具；但是，尚未在清醒或镇静的动物中进行评估。
