Post‐Tetanic Potentiation in the Middle‐Ear‐Muscle Acoustic Reflex

1960 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 1589-1591 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Blair Simmons
1980 ◽  
Vol 89 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 196-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges E. Freyss ◽  
Yves Manac'H ◽  
Philippe P. Narcy ◽  
Michel G. Toupet

The comparative efficacy of tympanometry and the acoustic reflex (threshold and supraliminal amplitude) in predicting the presence of fluid in the middle ear was studied just before myringotomy in 50 children (99 ears) prior to adenoidectomy. Impedance audiometry was carried out under a general anesthetic (ketamine and nitrous oxide) in 60%, and without anesthesia in 40% of the cases. The comparative efficacy of this test was assessed using objective criteria which were independent of the cut-off point between normal and abnormal groups. The prediction efficacy of acoustic reflex threshold and amplitude (Youden's index = 0.58) was superior to that of tympanometry peak amplitude and pressure (Youden's indexes = 0.29 and 0.36). The efficacy of the gradient was 0.41. Modifications due to anesthesia were not statistically significant for the whole group, but temporary abolition of the acoustic reflex at the start of anesthesia is probably related to the high percentage of false positives noted when the acoustic reflex is used alone in patients given a general anesthetic.


2010 ◽  
Vol 263 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 52-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Keefe ◽  
Denis Fitzpatrick ◽  
Yi-Wen Liu ◽  
Chris A. Sanford ◽  
Michael P. Gorga

1967 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 616-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan S. Feldman

The result of acoustic stimulation of the middle ear muscles was studied using subjects in whom one or the other muscle contraction was known to be ineffective. Otosclerosis presented a condition of an intact pair of muscles but a stapes unresponsive to the contraction of the stapedius muscle. Bell’s Palsy represented a condition of a paralyzed stapedius muscle but an otherwise normal middle ear system. Through surgical intervention the ears of otosclerotic patients were altered by sectioning of the stapedius muscle and insertion of a prosthesis, while in other patients an exploratory tympanotomy verified that the middle ear was without pathology and then one or the other of the middle ear muscles was sectioned. All except one of these instances would eliminate the response of the stapedius muscle only, while the other would only eliminate the tensor tympani response. In each instance of restriction of response of the stapedius muscle the acoustic reflex could not be elicited. On the other hand, when the remainder of the system was intact and only the tensor tympani sectioned, the acoustic reflex appeared normal. These observations would strongly support the contention that the tensor tympani is not responsive to acoustic stimulation.


1980 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-292
Author(s):  
Thomas Meeks ◽  
Laurence Owens ◽  
William Melnick

The effect of frequency modulation on acoustic middle ear muscle reflex persistence was studied. Changes in impedance at the tympanic membrane were used as an indirect indication of reflex activity. Signals were a 2-kHz pure tone, a narrow band of noise centered at 2-kHz, and FM signals centered at 2-kHz modulated 70, 140, and 280 times per second. Acoustic reflex persistance for FM signals resembled that observed with pure-tone stimulation rather than that produced by a filtered noise.


2007 ◽  
Vol 122 (8) ◽  
pp. 767-772
Author(s):  
F G Fiorino ◽  
L Bertolasi ◽  
F Barbieri

AbstractObjectives:To evaluate the reliability of transcranial magnetic stimulation in eliciting admittance changes due to activation of middle-ear muscles.Methods:Admittance changes induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation at the inion were evaluated in eight normal subjects, two subjects with prelingual deafness and 22 patients suffering from other otological disorders characterised by absence of acoustic reflex.Results:Responses showed a predominant negative peak in normal ears. Two small positive components, one preceding and the other following the negative deflection, were less consistently elicited. Only a positive wave was detected in otosclerotic subjects. Patients with tympanic membrane perforation or previous tympanoplasty with ossicular discontinuity did not show any response.Conclusions:Transcranial magnetic stimulation is able to activate both stapedius and tensor tympani muscles. In conjunction with admittance audiometry, it may represent a method of exploring the mechanics of the middle ear when acoustic reflex testing is not reliable. It can be helpful in the confirmation of stapes fixation when a severe to profound hearing loss is present.


2013 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Campo ◽  
Thomas Venet ◽  
Aurélie Thomas ◽  
Chantal Cour ◽  
Blandine Castel ◽  
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Keyword(s):  

1975 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willard E. Fee ◽  
Donald D. Dirks ◽  
Donald E. Morgan

The purpose of these experiments was to determine the incidence of the middle ear reflex in response to several nonacoustic (tactile and air jet) stimuli among subjects with normal hearing who had an acoustic reflex and selected patients with severe hearing loss. The results demonstrate that the incidence of response to tactile stimulation increases as the facial area stimulated approaches the auricle. The response to an air jet stimulus directed toward the eye is high; however, the clinical utility of the air jet may be limited because it often results in a startle reaction and head movement, and the response appears to fatigue easily. In normal listeners the response to auricular air jet stimulation probably results from both acoustic and tactile stimulation. The presence of a reflex to tactile stimulation, together with normal tympanometry constitutes strong evidence of a normal middle ear; but the absence of a reflex to acoustic or tactile stimuli still leads to an ambiguous determination of potential stapedial muscle function.


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