Wideband tympanometry in clinical practice: a literature review

Czech version

Authors: Michal Homoláč ^1,2; Maja Stříteská ^1,2; Anna Švejdová ^1,2; Jana Krtičková ^1,2; Lukáš Školoudík ^1,2; Viktor Chrobok ^1,2
Authors‘ workplace: Klinika otorinolaryngologie a chirurgie hlavy a krku, Fakultní nemocnice Hradec Králové ¹; Univerzita Karlova, Lékařská fakulta v Hradci Králové ²
Published in: Otorinolaryngol Foniatr, 74, 2025, No. 4, pp. 302-310.
Category: Review Article
doi: https://doi.org/10.48095/ccorl2025302

Overview

This review article outlines the current clinical applications of wideband tympanometry (WBT), a modern and advanced method for assessing the mechanics of the middle ear transmission system. Compared to conventional tympanometry, WBT enables analysis over a broader frequency range. The article places WBT within the historical context of immittance testing development, explains its underlying principles, and highlights its advantages over conventional methods. The main section focuses on clinical applications, primarily in the diagnosis of middle ear diseases such as secretory otitis media, otosclerosis, ossicular chain discontinuity, tympanic membrane perforation, and chronic otitis media. The article further explores the use of WBT in evaluating inner ear pathologies, such as endolymphatic hydrops and third window syndrome, implementation of WBT in newborn hearing screening, and summarizes potential new areas of application, including intracranial pressure monitoring and early postoperative follow-up after middle ear surgery. The discussion also addresses the limitations of the method, the need for standardized interpretation of results, and the potential offered by future integration of artificial intelligence in analyzing complex WBT data.

Keywords:

tympanometry – acoustic impedance tests – middle ear diseases – wideband tympanometry

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Prohlášení o střetu zájmu

Autor práce prohlašuje, že v souvislosti s tématem, vznikem a publikací tohoto článku není ve střetu zájmu a vznik ani publikace článku nebyly podpořeny žádnou farmaceutickou firmou. Toto prohlášení se týká i všech spoluautorů.

Grantová podpora

Tento výstup vznikl v rámci programu Cooperatio, vědní oblasti SURG.

ORCID autorů

M. Homoláč 0000-0002-5750-6278,

M. Stříteská 0000-0002-8738-5809,

A. Švejdová 0000-0002-9052-0549,

J. Krtičková 0000-0001-6884-8882,

L. Školoudík 0000-0003-4054-8719,

V. Chrobok 0000-0001-7537-139X.

Přijato k recenzi: 28. 5. 2025

Přijato k tisku: 4. 7. 2025

MUDr. Michal Homoláč