An assessment of threshold shifts in nonprofessional pop/rock musicians using conventional and extended high-frequency audiometry

Abstract

The clinical value of extended high-frequency audiometry for the detection of noise-induced hearing loss has not been established conclusively. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative temporary threshold shift (TTS) in two frequency regions (conventional versus extended high frequency). In this exploratory study, pure-tone thresholds from 0.5 to 14 kHz were measured in both ears of 16 nonprofessional pop/rock musicians (mean age, 35 yr; range, 27 to 49 yr), before and after a 90-minute rehearsal session. All had experienced repeated exposures to intense sound levels during at least 5 yr of their musical careers. After the rehearsal, median threshold levels were found to be significantly poorer for frequencies from 0.5 to 8 kHz (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p <or= 0.004) but were unchanged in the extended high-frequency range from 9 to 14 kHz. Decreases in the median threshold values measured before the rehearsal were present across the conventional frequency range, most notably at 6 kHz, but were not observed in the extended high-frequency range. On the basis of these results, extended high-frequency audiometry does not seem advantageous as a means of the early detection of noise-induced hearing loss.