Anatomy and physiology of the external ear: implications for hearing aid fitting in infants

Abstract

Background: This study describes the anatomic, physiologic and acoustic characteristics of the external ear in infants.

Aim: To verify the implications of these differences in the selection of the physical and electroacoustic characteristics of the hearing aid for this age group.

Method: The resonance of the external ear was measured in 32 infants with ages varying from 0 to 18 months.

Results: The results revealed an inverse relation between the peak frequency resonance and the infant's age.

Conclusions: The group of infants of 3 to 7 months, the intermediate group, did not present a statistically significant difference when compared to the group of infants of 8 to 18 months. The resonance, anatomy, impedance and volume of the external ear affect the hearing aid response.