Objective measurement of middle-ear function continues to be refined. Over the course of the last 30 years there has been a trend toward increasing the frequency of measurement in middle-ear assessment.
Current technology offers the opportunity for improved diagnosis of middle-ear disorders by using multifrequency and multicomponent tympanometry. The emerging technologies of wideband energy reflectance and laser Doppler vibrometry offer an indication of middle ear function over the same frequency range as the pure-tone audiogram.
Early results with energy reflectance measurements appear promising for assessing middle ear disorders and measuring the acoustic reflex. Similarly, the early findings with laser Doppler vibrometry show this approach to hold great promise for the diagnosis of conductive hearing disorders involving the ossicular chain.