An ultrasound signal processor uses an excitation generator to cause displacement of a tympanic membrane while a series of ultrasound pulses are applied to the tympanic membrane. Phase differences between a transmitted signal and received signal are examined to determine the movement of the tympanic membrane in response to the applied excitation. An examination of the phase response of the tympanic membrane provides a determination as to whether the fluid type behind the tympanic membrane is one of: no fluid, serum fluid, or purulent fluid.

An electrical transtympanic stimulator for auditory processing evaluation is disclosed. The stimulator comprises a processor, a digital-to-analog converter, a voltage-to-current convertor, and one or more electrodes. The digital-to-analog converter in communication with the processor and power source is configured to convert digital signals into analogue voltage signals. The voltage-to-current convertor in communication with the digital-to-analog converter via an amplifier is configured to convert the analogue voltage signals to current signals/pulses that are proportional to the analogue voltage signals. The electrodes in communication with the voltage-to-current convertor, configured to locate in the ear canal and on the skin around the skull of a patient, thereby performing the auditory processing evaluation by applying the current pulses to the ear canal and skull in different waveforms at various frequency ranges with parameters. The protection circuit configured to disconnect the power supply to the electrodes if the current value exceeds a threshold value.

A system and a method for a healthcare provider to easily, accurately and efficiently provide a diagnostic hearing assessment, for their patients, in a way that accurately detects hearing loss and provides recommendations for seeking further assistance from remotely-located ear specialists is provided.

The present disclosure proves a system, device, computer program and method for classifying hearing loss based on audiogram data, as well as method and system for programming a hearing aid based on such data and classification.

Systems and methods are provided for performing phase-sensitive optical coherence tomographic (PS-OCT) measurements involving the vibrographic response of an acoustic stimulus. Detected signals are processed to provide sampled time-dependent vibrographic data characterizing a vibratory amplitude and phase response over one or more periods of the acoustic stimulus. The sampled time-dependent vibrographic data is processed to suppress the sinusoidal signal component associated with the acoustic stimulus, thereby providing a residual data associated with noise. The residual data is processed to obtain an estimate of the motion noise, and the motion noise is subtracted from the sampled time-dependent vibrographic data in order to provide noise-corrected vibrographic data. The noise-corrected vibrographic data can be processed to obtain one or more vibrographic measures and/or one or more images.

An ear ailment diagnostic device and method in accordance with the present disclosure generally comprises a pair of earpieces, which both further comprise a light source, a magnification lens, an air conduction channel and a miniature camera. The earpieces may optionally comprise a thermometer and/or tympanometer. Each earpiece is coupled to an air conduction tube, an insufflator and an electrical wiring/data tube which is coupled to a computer. The insufflator may be manually, electronically, or battery powered. In the preferred embodiment the computer comprises a smart phone with data processing capability and wireless communication capability. Any data sent from the device can then be interpreted and diagnosed in a remote location so that an accurate treatment is prescribed.

The present disclosure relates to a device and method for detection and compensation for an oblique ear-probe insertion in especially hearing testing diagnostic setups. More particularly the disclosure relates to detecting an oblique probe insertion from an ear-probe measurement and estimated characteristic impedances and compensate for its effect on the ear-canal reflectance.

A system having a scope with a longitudinal length extending between a proximal end and a distal end includes a plurality of markers spaced along the longitudinal length. The system also includes a disassociation and positioning device that is configured to enhance unsedated transnasal endoscopic procedures by at least partially occluding the vision of a patient while enabling body cavity access, and optionally record and sense body functions such as temperature, heart rate and oxygenation of the blood stream. The system further includes a sensor integrated into the distraction device, wherein the sensor is configured to detect the markers on the longitudinal length of the scope.

Pediatric hearing-aid verification relies on probe microphone measures of output from the ear canal or in a coupler with the child's real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD). These measures cannot always be completed in children, leading to inaccuracies in fitting when average RECD values are used instead. Audiologists often have tympanometry data that characterizes the impedance of outer and middle ear. Creating a machine-learned model to train itself to incorporate and refine the modelling such as by incorporating clinical tympanometric data into predictions of individual RECDs led to more accurate estimates and smaller errors than using age-based average RECD alone. The modelling can be included in clinical diagnostic tools to quickly and non-invasively provide improved estimation for pediatric hearing-aid verification in a clinical setting.

An instrument comprising an ear probe for insertion into an ear canal of a test subject is provided. The ear probe comprising an acoustic output unit comprising at least one speaker, the acoustic output unit being configured to provide at least one stimulus into the ear canal of the test subject via said speaker, an acoustic input unit comprising at least one microphone, the acoustic input unit being configured to receive a reflected part of said stimulus via said microphone and provide an electrical input signal, where the instrument further comprises a signal-processing unit connected to the acoustic output unit and to the acoustic input unit, where the signal-processing unit is configured to generate at least a first and a second stimulus and to provide said at least first stimulus and second stimulus to said acoustic output unit, and where the acoustic input unit is configured to receive a reflected part of said at least first stimulus and second stimulus.