Respiration audiometry.

Since 1971 an impedance-plethysmographic method was been used to record changes in the breathing pattern of 218 high-risk infants during acoustic stimulation. The results of this technique, known as respiration audiometry, show that acoustically induced changes in the breathing pattern can be used as a hearing test for very young children. The results fall into four categories: excellent readability (45%), good readability (32%), readable (15%), not readable (8%). Respiration audiometry makes it possible in most cases to ascertain a child's hearing level. The neonatal period and early infancy are the ages best suited for investigations with respiration audiometry. The reliability of this method was found to be good.