The Effect of Static Middle Ear Pressures on the Hearing Threshold

The effect of static tympanic pressure gradients on hearing sensitivity was studied by introducing relative underpressure of 5, 10 and 15 cmH2O in the middle ear cavity of six normal ears. A self-recording Békésy audiometer was used to measure the hearing threshold shifts during middle ear pressure equilibrations. The threshold loss was most prominent for 0.5 and 1 kHz and less for 4 kHz. A threshold gain was shown for 2 and 6 kHz. Over all test frequencies the threshold shifts were increased with higher relative underpressure in the middle ear cavity. In order to evaluate the hearing impairment caused by noise, it is therefore important to control the middle ear pressure before hearing is tested. A small change in middle ear pressure can be ignored when using the summed hearing thresholds between 2 and 8 kHz.