AGE EFFECT ON TYMPANOMETRIC EVALUATION RESULTS
1Bezmialem Vakıf Üniversitesi, Odyoloji, İstanbul, Turkey2Nişantaşı Üniversitesi, Odyometri, İstanbul, Turkey
3Bingöl Üniversitesi, Odyometri, Bingol, Turkey
4İstanbul Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu Şehir Hastanesi, Odyoloji, İstanbul, Turkey
5Marmara Üniversitesi, Odyoloji, İstanbul, Turkey Introduction: With increasing age, changes occur in the anatomy and physiology of the outer and middle ear, which are reflected in the tympanometric results. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of age on tympanometric evaluation results in participants.
Material and Methods: Tympanometric evaluation results were obtained with Titan® wideband tympanometry from 46 individuals between the ages of 6-18, 52 individuals between the ages of 19-39, and 37 individuals between the ages of 40-60 with normal hearing, normal otoscopic findings, and type A tympanogram were examined retrospectively. A total of 265 ears were evaluated, and comparison and regression analysis were performed according to age groups to determine the effect of age on compliance, tympanometric peak pressure, tympanometric width, equivalent ear canal volume, and resonance frequency.
Results: The statistical evaluation revealed that age affected compliance, tympanometric peak pressure, tympanometric width, equivalent ear canal volume, and resonance frequency. No significant difference was observed between the tympanometric results of the right and left ears.
Conclusion: It is known that tympanometric evaluation results vary in terms of age, gender, and ethnic characteristics. This study revealed the effects of age on tympanometric evaluation results. These differences were thought to be due to differences in body size between adults and children and changes in middle ear physiology and anatomy with age. Our study is believed to contribute to the literature by revealing age-related changes in tympanometric results.
Keywords : Tympanometry, Aging, Middle ear