Question
Is it necessary to measure the RECD on both ears? Sometimes I can only get my pediatric patients to sit for a RECD on one ear.
Answer
If the physical appearance of the outer ear and the middle ear status is the same for both ears, the RECD measurement from one ear can be used for the other ear. There is some data to suggest that if these conditions are met, the RECD values should be similar for both ears (Tharpe, Sladen, Huta, & Rothpletz, 2001).
This Ask The Expert Question was taken from an article previous published on Audiology Online entitled, "Learning the Art to Apply the Science: Common Questions Related to Pediatric Hearing Instrument Fitting". See Bagatto and Moodie (2007) for additional information.
References:
Bagatto, M., Moodie, S., (2007, October 8). Learning the Art to Apply the Science: Common Questions Related to Pediatric Hearing Instrument Fitting. Audiology Online, Article 1886. Accessed from the Article Archives from www.audiologyonline.com/articles
Tharpe, A.M., Sladen, D., Huta, H.M., & Rothpletz, A.M. (2001). Practical considerations of real-ear-to-coupler difference measures in infants. American Journal of Audiology, 10(1), 41-49.
Marlene Bagatto, Au.D., is a Research Associate and Sheila T. F. Moodie, M.Cl.Sc., is a Research Audiologist at the National Centre for Audiology at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.
