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Biomedical subjects

S Jerger

Publications and source records attributed to S Jerger.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Specific auditory perceptual dysfunction in a learning disabled child.

An 11 1/2 year old child with learning disability was evaluated with a battery of auditory and linguistic test procedures: electrophysiologic (auditory brain stem, middle latency response, and late potentials), electroacoustic (stapedial reflexes), and behavioral (measures of phonetic-phonologic, syntactic, and semantic processing). The overall pattern of results suggested the presence of an isolated auditory-phonologic processing disorder. Results supported an auditory-perceptual, as opposed to a linguistic-cognitive, model of learning disability.

Aptitude↗

Validation of the pediatric speech intelligibility test in children with central nervous system lesions.

The pediatric speech intelligibility (PSI) test was administered to 21 children with a variety of documented central nervous system (CNS) lesions. Ages ranged from 3 to 8 years. PSI test results demonstrated both high sensitivity and high specificity. Results were consistently (1) abnormal in children with lesions in areas of the brain important for auditory function (CNS auditory disorders) and (2) normal in children with lesions in areas anatomically remote from auditory nuclei and pathways (nonauditory CNS disorders).

Auditory Threshold↗

Race difference in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss.

Pure-tone audiometric thresholds were compared in 28 black and 28 matched white male Emergency Medical Service firefighters exposed to high levels of ambulance siren noise. Groups were matched on the basis of chronologic age, duration of firefighter employment, and prevalence of nonjob-related noise exposure. Results suggested that whites are more susceptible to the damaging effects of high-level noise than blacks. In both the mid- and high-frequency regions of the audiogram, blacks showed significantly better sensitivity than whites on the poorer ear. On the better ear, the sensitivity difference between blacks and whites widened as employment duration and, therefore, duration of noise exposure, increased.

Adult↗

Accelerated hearing loss in urban emergency medical services firefighters.

A group of 192 firefighters serving in a busy urban emergency medical services (EMS) system was randomly selected for hearing tests. Total number of hours of siren noise exposure was calculated for each man and was compared to the outcome of hearing tests. Hearing loss was defined by the amount of sound intensity required to sense both midfrequency and high-frequency tones. Results indicated a correlation between hearing loss and the duration of siren noise exposure. The loss could not be attributed to non-job-related sources. In addition, the rate of hearing loss over time was 150% of that expected in age-matched, non-noise-exposed men. These findings confirm the observations of others that EMS personnel are at risk for hearing loss beyond that expected from aging alone, and they document that the hearing loss correlates with the duration of intense siren noise exposure.

Adult↗

Evaluation of diagnostic audiometric tests.

Five diagnostic audiometric procedures - acoustic reflexes, performance-intensity functions for monosyllabic (phonetically balanced) words, Békésy audiometry, Békésy comfortable loudness audiometry and suprathreshold adaptation test - were critically evaluated by decision matrix analysis and information theory analysis. The subjects were 20 patients with surgically confirmed eighth nerve disorders and 20 patients with presumed cochlear disorders. Each patient completed all test procedures. In terms of decision matrix analysis, sensitivity (correct identification of eighth nerve site) ranged from 45 to 85%. Specificity (correct rejection of patients with cochlear site) ranged from 70 to 100%. Predictive value ranged from 74 to 100% for positive results and from 62 to 82% for negative results. The efficiency of the five tests ranged from 68 to 78%. In terms of information theory, positive test results increased the probability of eighth nerve disorder in any subject from 50% (a priori) to 74-100%. Negative test results decreased the probability of eighth nerve disorder from 50% to 18-38%. Relative differences among the diagnostic effectiveness of the five individual test procedures were not pronounced. However, the suprathreshold adaptation test (results confined to 500, 1 000 and 2 000 Hz) was less efficient than the other four diagnostic techniques.

Adult↗

Fluctuating hearing loss and recurrent vertigo in otosclerosis. An audiologic and temporal bone study.

This report summarizes audiologic and temporal bone findings in a 47-year-old white female with recurrent attacks of vertigo, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. A series of audiograms, obtained over a 15-year period, showed a fluctuating mixed (sensorineural and conductive) hearing loss with a relatively flat configuration in the left ear and a relatively stable, mild sensorineural loss with a sloping contour in the right ear. Temporal bone studies revealed the existence of otosclerotic foci bilaterally. In the left ear, the otosclerotic focus has grown close to the utricular and lateral ampullary nerves, displaced and ankylosed the stapedial footplate, invaded the endosteal zone (1,000-2,000 Hz area), and deformed the lateral cochlear wall. In the right ear, the otosclerotic invasion was limited to the inferior portion on the promontory (vestibular cecum) and round window niche.

Audiometry↗

Pediatric speech intelligibility test. II. Effect of receptive language age and chronological age.

Performance for Pediatric Speech Intelligibility (PSI) Format I and Format II sentences was significantly different in children between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Performance differences were related to chronological age (CA) and receptive language (RL) ability. However, performance for Format I sentences in children with relatively low RL age and performance for Format II sentences in children with relatively high RL age were equivalent. This observation yielded an algorithm that determines the sentence format as a function of the child's RL age in order to yield 'language equivalent' norms for speech audiometry. Performance for PSI word materials was not influenced by differences in RL skill. CA developmental trends were noted for all speech materials.

Age Factors↗

Speech, impedance, and auditory brainstem response audiometry in brainstem tumors. Importance of a multiple-test strategy.

Speech, impedance, and auditory brainstem response audiometric data were determined for four patients with intracranial tumor. Although the results of any individual measure may be ambiguous, consideration of the overall pattern of results on all three measures, in combination with audiometric sensitivity level, can lead to relatively precise site localization of brainstem auditory disorders.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗

Pediatric speech intelligibility test. I. Generation of test materials.

Normal children between 3 and 7 years of age generated word and sentence messages for use in a new speech intelligibility test. Word materials did not differ as a function of chronological age, vocabulary skills, or receptive language ability. Sentence materials, however, did reflect differences in chronological age, vocabulary skills, and receptive language skills. Older children, approximately 5-10 years, responded with complete, adult-like sentences. Younger children, approximately 3-10 years, responded with either a proform substituted for the noun phrase subject of a sentence or by omitting the auxiliary verb "be" in forming the present progressive verb tense of the sentence. To represent the differences in the children's responses, two different types of test sentences were formed. In one construction, the test sentence is composed of (noun phrase/verb-ing/noun phrase), preceded by the carrier phrase "show me", e.g., "Show me a bear brushing his teeth". In the other construction, the test sentence is composed of (noun phrase/auxiliary verb-ing/noun phrase), e.g., "A bear is brushing his teeth". The two different sentence forms are proposed as a means of equating differences in normal language development among children.

Age Factors↗

A new acoustic reflex pattern.

A new crossed-vs-uncrossed acoustic reflex pattern has been observed in four patients with retrocochlear disorder. The new reflex pattern is characterized by a unique "uni-box" configuration. Reflexes are abnormal with sound to the affected ear on crossed stimulation only. In one additional patient, a variation of the uni-box pattern was found on suprathreshold reflex amplitude measures. WE observed a large ear difference between reflex amplitude functions in the crossed condition, but not in the uncrossed condition. This observation suggests that reflex amplitude measures may be a valuable addition to threshold measures in some patients.

Adolescent↗

Diagnostic value of crossed vs uncrossed acoustic reflexes: eighth nerve and brain stem disorders.

Acoustic reflexes to crossed (sound in one ear; probe in opposite ear) and uncrossed (sound and probe in the same ear) stimulation were obtained from 17 patients with eighth nerve or brain stem disorders and 20 normal control subjects. Comparison of crossed and uncrossed reflex thresholds provided an important diagnostic tool for differentiating the eighth nerve from the brain stem site. Egihth nerve disorders were usually characterized by diagonal reflex patterns. In contrast, brain stem disorders were usually characterized by horizontal reflex patterns. Detailed evaluation of the reflex time course in two selected patients with intra-axial brain stem disorder showed unusual abnormalities in the crossed acoustic reflex.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Estimating speech threshold from the PI-PB function.

Speech thresholds were determined from the performance intensity function for phonetically balanced (PB) words in 2,117 patients with varying types and degrees of hearing loss. Comparison of this threshold for PB words (PBT) with both pure-tone sensitivity (PTA) and the conventional threshold for spondee words (ST) shows that PBT not only provides a cross-check on pure-tone level, but also conveys additional information about audiometric contour.

Adolescent↗

Recovery of crossed acoustic reflexes in brain stem auditory disorder.

Crossed acoustic reflexes were serially monitored in a patient receiving radiotherapy for an intra-axial brain stem tumor. Analysis revealed a pattern of systematic recovery as the brain stem lesion responded to therapy. Crossed reflexes were observed at more and more test frequencies, until responses were present on both ears for all test signals. Pure-tone sensitivity and speech intelligibility remained within the normal range throughout the observation period.

Auditory Pathways↗

A simplified tone decay test.

This report describes a simplified suprathreshold tone decay test procedure (STAT). The sustained test signal is presented for 60 seconds at 110 dB sound pressure level. The patient is asked to respond as long as he hears the sound. If the patient responds for the full 60-second test period, the result is negative. If, however, he fails to respond for the full 60 seconds, the result is considered positive for eighth-nerve site. Clinical experience with the new test procedure suggests that it minimizes false alarms without sacrificing accuracy of identification of eighth-nerve site.

Adolescent↗