Dewyer Nicholas A, Jiradejvong Patpong, Lee David S, Kemmer Jacquelyn D, Henderson Sabes Jennifer, Limb Charles J
1 Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
2 Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2019 Jun;128(6):508-515. doi: 10.1177/0003489419828770. Epub 2019 Feb 11.
To develop and validate an automated smartphone app that determines bone-conduction pure-tone thresholds.
A novel app, called EarBone, was developed as an automated test to determine best-cochlea pure-tone bone-conduction thresholds using a smartphone driving a professional-grade bone oscillator. Adult, English-speaking patients who were undergoing audiometric assessment by audiologists at an academic health system as part of their prescribed care were invited to use the EarBone app. Best-ear bone-conduction thresholds determined by the app and the gold standard audiologist were compared.
Forty subjects with varied hearing thresholds were tested. Sixty-one percent of app-determined thresholds were within 5 dB of audiologist-determined thresholds, and 79% were within 10 dB. Nearly all subjects required assistance with placing the bone oscillator on their mastoid.
Best-cochlea bone-conduction thresholds determined by the EarBone automated smartphone audiometry app approximate those determined by an audiologist. This serves as a proof of concept for automated smartphone-based bone-conduction threshold testing. Further improvements, such as the addition of contralateral ear masking, are needed to make the app clinically useful.
开发并验证一款能测定骨导纯音听阈的自动化智能手机应用程序。
一款名为EarBone的新型应用程序被开发出来，作为一种自动化测试，使用智能手机驱动专业级骨振荡器来测定最佳耳蜗纯音骨导听阈。邀请在学术健康系统中接受听力学家听力评估（作为其规定护理的一部分）的成年英语患者使用EarBone应用程序。比较该应用程序和金标准听力学家所测定的最佳耳骨导听阈。
对40名听力阈值各异的受试者进行了测试。应用程序测定的阈值中有61%在听力学家测定阈值的5 dB范围内，79%在10 dB范围内。几乎所有受试者在将骨振荡器放置在乳突上时都需要协助。
EarBone自动化智能手机听力测定应用程序所测定的最佳耳蜗骨导听阈与听力学家测定的结果相近。这为基于智能手机的自动化骨导阈值测试提供了概念验证。需要进一步改进，如增加对侧耳掩蔽，以使该应用程序在临床上有用。
