Abstract
ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the tympanometric asymmetry in children. The determination of ear differences would be useful clinically in determining what qualifies as a significant asymmetry in tympanometric indices and hence middle ear dysfunction. MethodsFifty-five otologically normal school-aged African American children participated. Middle ear indices of peak compensated static acoustic admittance, equivalent ear canal volume, tympanometric peak pressure, and tympanometric width were examined. ResultsNo significant differences between right and left tympanometric indices were found (p > .05). Correlations between right and left tympanometric indices were positive and statistically significant (p < .05). Critical differences, for deciding if two tympanometry indices are different between ears, were computed from the standard deviations of the right-left ear difference for confidence levels of 85%–99%. ConclusionsCritical differences for tympanometric indices can be used by clinicians to assess if ear asymmetries are statistically significant.
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