Champaign, Ill — Mimosa Acoustics unveiled OtoStat, a new hearing screening device for the middle and inner ear. OtoStat is a handheld, portable screener that features a touch-screen interface and a wide frequency range.

OtoStat allows clinicians to test the middle and inner ear with a single probe fit. A user-friendly design simplifies the diagnostic process with a touch-screen display that indicates normative regions and can alert users to poor probe fits and high noise.

OtoStat is also able to extend the test frequency range of wideband immittance up to 6,000 Hz, offering an broad view of conductive disorders. By combining wideband immittance (MEPA) modules to assess middle-ear function with DPOAE modules to assess inner-ear function, OtoStat can reportedly help differentially diagnose sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) from conductive disorders and potentially reduce the rate of SNHL false positives.

As a portable screening device, OtoStat does not require a soundproof booth, but instead uses artifact rejection to remove background noise that is typical in hospitals and clinics. In addition, the unit does not use pneumatic pressure to seal the ear, which can startle infants and children. Moreover, OtoStat was designed so that a deep seal in the ear canal is not necessary for testing.

In its AAA show announcement, Mimosa Acoustics said that OtoStat will be available for delivery starting July 2012. More information is available on the OtoStat website.

SOURCE: Mimosa Acoustics