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.     

Galvanic vesitbular test.

Galvanic stimulation of the vestibular system provokes a nystagmus as well as a tendency to fall. The direction of these phenomena depends on the localization of the anode. In this study the value of the minimal current strength (threshold), which is able to provoke nystagmus with a constant frequency during at least 30 sec was determined. Also the effects of the lesions in the vestibular system on these threshold values were measured. The method of bipolar-biaruricular stimulation showed to be the most sensitive one. A striking difference was found in the thresholds in rabbits with a vestibular organ with a lesion on that side. In that case the threshold for a nystagmus directed to the side with the intact ear was at its lowest. The conclusion is drawn that the galvanic vestibular test is suitable for the detection of the localization of a vestibular lesion in patients, especially when this lesion is located in the peripheral vestibular organ.     

Electromanometric function test of the nasofrontal duct.

An electromanometric methods for the quantitative measurement of the ventilation of the frontal sinus is described which also measures the resistance of the nasofrontal duct to an experimentally produced hydrodynamic current. The biophysical basis as well as typical results of the examination are demonstrated and the field of clinical application in the differential diagnosis of frontal sinus affections is outlined.     

A new modification of the Rinne test.

A modification of Rinne's test is described. The result of the test is dependent on many factors and in particular the force with which the tuning fork is applied to the mastoid process is important. Most authorities state that firm pressure should be used but the precise force required is inadequately defined. A modification of a standard tuning fork was therefore designed which allows measurement of the actual force used. 100 ears with confirmed conductive hearing losses were examined. Rinne's test was performed on each ear comparing three different forces. The forces used were 400 g (3.9 N) corresponding to light pressure, 2400 g (23.5 N) corresponding to firm pressure, and an intermediate and indeterminate force corresponding to normal clinical performance of the test. The optimum force in this study is 2400 g (23.5 N) force. This gives increased sensitivity, specificity and accuracy compared to lesser forces. More accurate measurement of the force used allows better reproducibility and more meaningful comparison of the results thus obtained.     

The nasal provocation test in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis. Behaviour and dynamics of nasal flow during the test.

We analyzed the value of the (n) coefficient of nasal flow in the formula of nasal resistances in order to: (1) calculate nasal flow during the course of the nasal provocation test, and (2) try to find out whether nasal flow maintains the same characteristics during the test. Our results show that values vary between 1.6589 and 1.8801, with a weighted mean of 1.7645--suggesting that the flow is of a mixed character--without significant differences during the course of the test. At the same time we carried out an analysis of the dynamics of nasal flow during nasal provocation.     

Application of phase-induced lateralization to the Stenger test.

The Stenger test was employed to estimate the genuine hearing thresholds in normally hearing volunteer subjects simulating a total unilateral loss. The test was carried out in its standard form and in a modified form in which a phase shift was introduced between the signal delivered to the two ears, set to produce phase-induced lateralization towards the 'poor' ear. The standard test estimated the thresholds at a mean of 13.5 dB above the true thresholds at five frequencies from 250 Hz to 4 kHz. Thresholds at the different frequencies were compared, and although thresholds were lower for the higher frequencies, the apparent effect of frequency was not statistically significant. The modified test, using a 90 degrees phase shift, was found to enhance the test at 250 and 500 Hz (thresholds estimated at about 7 dB above true values), but not significantly at 1 kHz.     

Anatomic variations of the bone in sinonasal C.T.

Coronal plane Computed Tomographic (C.T) Scanning of paranasal sinuses is importannt as a preoperative evaluation tool and providing a road map for Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgrey. The present study wea crried out on 61 patients of chronic sinusitis who underwent C.T. Scan of paranalal sinus, (coronal section) prior to Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.The incidence of anatomical variations of the bone such as Agger nasi cells, Middle turbinate pneumatisation, Heller’s Cells,Paradoxically curved middle turbinate, Deviated septum and Uncinate process variations, etc. were investigated in each C.T.Scan. Mucosal abnormalities in each paranasal sinus were also reported. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the background prevalence of bony anatomical variations and mucosal abnormalities of paranasal sinuses and assess the possile pathogenecity of these findings in patients undergoing evalation for Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.     

T1 squamous cell carcinoma of the arytenoid.

Twenty-two cases of early squamous cell carcinoma of the arytenoid cartilage staged as T1 according to the 1983 American Joint Committee for Cancer Staging Classification system were reviewed. Eighteen percent of the patients showed no symptoms. In the remaining 82%, the main presenting symptom was pain in the form of sore throat, odynophagia, or otalgia. Radiotherapy and partial laryngeal surgery were the options retained for the treatment of the larynx. A "watch and wait" policy or preventive treatment of the ipsilateral jugulocarotid lymph nodes were the treatment options retained for the neck. Significant differences were noted in terms of local and nodal recurrence between the two programs. Results indicate that partial laryngeal surgery with total arytenoidectomy and preventive treatment of the neck appear to be advisable for this particular type of primary lesion.     

The development of the text reception threshold test: a visual analogue of the speech reception threshold test.

PURPOSE: In this study, the authors aimed to develop a visual analogue of the widely used Speech Reception Threshold (SRT; R. Plomp & A. M. Mimpen, 1979b) test. The Text Reception Threshold (TRT) test, in which visually presented sentences are masked by a bar pattern, enables the quantification of modality-aspecific variance in speech-in-noise comprehension to obtain more insight into interindividual differences in this ability. METHOD: Using an adaptive procedure similar to the SRT test, the TRT test determines the percentage of unmasked text needed to read 50% of sentences correctly. SRTs in stationary noise (SRT(STAT)), modulated noise (SRT(MOD)), and TRTs were determined for 34 participants with normal hearing, aged 19 to 78 years. RESULTS: The results indicate that about 30% of the variance in SRT(STAT) and SRT(MOD) is shared with variance in TRT, which reflects the shared involvement of a modality-aspecific cognitive or linguistic ability in forming meaningful wholes of fragments of sentences. CONCLUSION: The TRT test, a visual analogue of the SRT test, has been developed to measure the variance in speech-in-noise comprehension associated with modality-aspecific cognitive skills. In future research, normative data of the TRT test should be developed. It would also be interesting to measure TRTs of individuals experiencing difficulties understanding speech.     

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.     

A protocol for the air caloric test and a comparison with a standard water caloric test.

This communication describes the development of a protocol for the air caloric stimulus for vestibular testing. The protocol is based on matching the peak responses of air and water caloric stimuli and minimizing subject discomfort. Air stimulus temperatures of 30 and 44 degrees C are used, and these appear to minimize subject complaints of pain with the test. Composite data are presented from 16 normal subjects who were tested with the protocol. A comparison is made with their responses to a standard water protocol. Test-retest data for both air and water protocols are also presented, and these data indicate similar day-to-day variation in the two methods. On the basis of the work presented, it is concluded that the air protocol produces responses equivalent to that of standard water calorics in a group of normal subjects. Neither test was found, in the present experiments, to be particularly sensitive.