In pediatric screenings, acoustic immittance measures are used because they can detect middle-ear pathology even when pure-tone thresholds are normal. Which statement best summarizes this practice?

• A. They help identify middle-ear pathology even when pure-tone thresholds are normal.
• B. They measure speech recognition thresholds.
• C. They quantify tympanic membrane mobility only during infection.
• D. They assess vestibular function.

Answer: (A)

Acoustic immittance testing focuses on how the middle ear functions, not on the listener’s ability to hear tones. By measuring tympanic membrane mobility and middle-ear pressure, it reveals issues like fluid in the middle ear or stiffness in the ossicular chain that can exist even when a child’s pure-tone thresholds are still normal. This makes it a valuable screening tool in pediatrics: it can flag middle-ear pathology early, before it shows up as elevated hearing thresholds on pure-tone testing. The other statements don’t fit because immittance testing does not measure speech recognition thresholds, does not quantify tympanic membrane mobility only during infection (mobility is a general measure of middle-ear mechanics, not limited to infection), and it does not assess vestibular function.