TEOAE
Pronunciation: tee-oh-ay
Also written as: TEOAE — Transient-Evoked Otoacoustic Emission
Transient-Evoked Otoacoustic Emission; a broadband otoacoustic emission elicited by a brief click or tone-burst stimulus, used as a cochlear screening tool.
Full Definition
TEOAEs are generated by the cochlea in response to a transient acoustic stimulus and reflect the global integrity of outer hair cells across a broad frequency range. They are widely used in newborn hearing screening programmes because they are fast, non-invasive, and do not require sedation. In clinical reports, editors should note that a 'pass' result does not rule out all forms of hearing loss—particularly auditory neuropathy—and the report language should not overstate the finding. The acronym should be expanded on first use as 'transient-evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE).' Editors must not conflate TEOAE with DPOAE, which uses a different stimulus paradigm and provides different frequency resolution.
Usage
Usage note: The variant acronym CEOAE (click-evoked OAE) is used in some British literature; confirm house style before editing. Always hyphenate 'transient-evoked' as a compound modifier.
In Context
- "TEOAE screening was completed in the nursery within 24 hours of birth." — Newborn hearing screening report
- "The editor replaced 'CEOAE' with 'TEOAE' to align with the journal's preferred terminology." — Manuscript editing note