Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy Associates P.S.
Specializing in disorders of the Ear, Nose and Throat.

OAE Northwest Hearing Center of Puyallup

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE)

An otoacoustic emission is any sound produced by the cochlea (organ of hearing) and detected in the ear canal with a special microphone. OAEs are small signals or responses that depend on the integrity of the entire peripheral auditory system, including the external ear canal, the middle ear system, and the cochlea, and its interaction with the central nervous system. OAEs cannot be used exclusively to estimate the amount of hearing loss and is used in combination with a complete diagnostic battery of tests. OAE testing has many clinical applications including newborn hearing screening, testing for difficult populations, determining the type of hearing loss, and monitoring the effects of ototoxic medications. OAE testing is typically performed with a complete hearing evaluation and takes about 5-minutes.