Clinical value of wideband acoustic immittance in the diagnosis of otitis media with effusion under negative intratympanic pressure in adults.

Background: Normative clinical values for wideband acoustic immittance (WAI) are not well-established.

Aims: This study aims to define the normative contour plot characteristics of WAI and evaluate its diagnostic value in detecting tympanic effusion.

Materials and methods: Data were collected from subjects with normal hearing (76 ears) and type C tympanograms on 226-Hz tympanometry (130 ears). Matlab was used to process and analyze the data. The maximum absorbance of WAI was used as the primary indicator, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to determine the optimal cut-off value. WAI contour plots were compared to 226-Hz tympanometry and otoendoscopy, the latter being the gold standard.

Results: Mean WAI plots in the normal group showed single peaks (absorbance, >70%) and a nearly symmetrical distribution of the peak area around the 0 daPa pressure line. The ROC curve indicated an AUC value of 0.910, with 78% as the optimal cut-off value of maximum absorbance for detecting effusion. WAI demonstrated better diagnostic performance (sensitivity: 82.26%, specificity: 86.76%, kappa: 0.691) than 226-Hz tympanometry (sensitivity: 61.29%, specificity: 61.76%, kappa: 0.230).

Conclusions and significance: Normative WAI values were established, and WAI proved more accurate than 226-Hz tympanometry for identifying tympanic effusion, offering valuable guidance for selecting treatment options.