Beyond 226 Hz: Exploring the Clinical Potential of Wideband Acoustic Reflexes

The acoustic stapedial reflex threshold test is a standard part of the clinical test battery and provides information on cochlear, CN7, and CN8 function, as well as indicators about conductive hearing loss. Unlike the clinical measure traditionally tested at 226 Hz, the wideband acoustic reflex measure replaces the 226 Hz tone with a click stimuli from 250-8000 Hz. The wider frequency band elicits the acoustic stapedial reflex at a lower and therefore has the potential to provide more sensitive audiometric information with the potential of measuring subtle changes in a population overtime. However, the test has not become an integral part of the clinical test battery, due in part to the complexity of test interpretation. This talk will review the WB-MEMR test and describe preliminary research findings in a population of healthy ears and the efforts to make this test accessible to the clinical setting. 

The purpose of this program is to provide audiologists with an understanding of wideband acoustic reflex measurements, their potential clinical benefits, and their applications in audiologic assessment. Participants will learn how wideband acoustic reflex testing differs from traditional acoustic reflex measures, review emerging research findings, and explore the potential for improved diagnostic sensitivity. The program will also address current challenges in test interpretation and ongoing efforts to facilitate the integration of wideband acoustic reflex testing into routine clinical practice.

Julie Christensen earned her M.S. in audiology from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. After a clinical fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, she spent 18 years at Boys Town National Research Hospital, where she worked as a clinical audiologist specializing in pediatric audiology, amplification for children and adults, and vestibular evaluation of all age groups and later as a research audiologist studying emotional prosody and pitch perception in cochlear implant users. She joined the NIDCD as a research audiologist in 2018, where she studies the audiology phenotype of rare diseases, disease biomarkers, and middle ear immittance measures.