Fitting hearing aids for the pediatric population: In situ verification of the anatomy, physiology and acoustics characteristics of the external ear

Abstract

The study discussed the differences of the anatomy and the acoustics characteristics of the external ear in infants, as the implications of those on hearing aids selection and fitting process. As hearing loss detection might be early in life, this work has its clinical relevance, once intervention might be as soon as possible. The theory says the anatomy and the acoustics of the external ear are different for the pedriatic population and its characteristics can not be compared to adults before the age of two. The real ear response (REAR) and the insertion response (REIR) were collected and analysed on several subjects from different ages (3 months to five years), and the results discussed. Subjects from 0 to 24 months presented higher REIR values from 3000 to 4000 Hz compared to 3 to 5 subjects. The results suggest that the open year resonance measurement and the selection of the eletroacoustics parameters of the hearing aid must be conducted individualized for the pedriatic population possible.