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Influence of compact disk recording protocols on reliability and comparability of speech audiometry outcomes: acoustic analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2010

F Di Berardino ,
G Tognola ,
A Paglialonga ,
D Alpini ,
F Grandori  and
A Cesarani
F Di Berardino
Affiliation:
Audiology Unit, Fondazione Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Cà Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, and the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Milan, Italy
G Tognola*
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ingegneria Biomedica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Milan, Italy
A Paglialonga
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ingegneria Biomedica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Milan, Italy
D Alpini
Affiliation:
ENT Otoneurology Service, Scientific Institute S Maria Nascente, Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy
F Grandori
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ingegneria Biomedica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Milan, Italy
A Cesarani
Affiliation:
Audiology Unit, Fondazione Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Cà Granda – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, and the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Milan, Italy
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Gabriella Tognola, Istituto di Ingegneria Biomedica CNR, c/o Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milan, Italy. Fax: +39 02 23993367 E-mail: gabriella.tognola@polimi.it
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Abstract

Objective:

To assess whether different compact disk recording protocols, used to prepare speech test material, affect the reliability and comparability of speech audiometry testing.

Material and methods:

We conducted acoustic analysis of compact disks used in clinical practice, to determine whether speech material had been recorded using similar procedures. To assess the impact of different recording procedures on speech test outcomes, normal hearing subjects were tested using differently prepared compact disks, and their psychometric curves compared.

Results:

Acoustic analysis revealed that speech material had been recorded using different protocols. The major difference was the gain between the levels at which the speech material and the calibration signal had been recorded. Although correct calibration of the audiometer was performed for each compact disk before testing, speech recognition thresholds and maximum intelligibility thresholds differed significantly between compact disks (p < 0.05), and were influenced by the gain between the recording level of the speech material and the calibration signal.

Conclusion:

To ensure the reliability and comparability of speech test outcomes obtained using different compact disks, it is recommended to check for possible differences in the recording gains used to prepare the compact disks, and then to compensate for any differences before testing.

Keywords

AudiometrySpeechHearing LevelTest Reliability
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 124 , Issue 8 , August 2010 , pp. 859 - 863
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2010

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