Effects of Difluoromethylornithine Chemoprevention on Audiometry Thresholds and Otoacoustic Emissions

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Abstract
AUDIOLOGIC monitoring for the purpose of prevention of hearing loss is often used for known ototoxic medications such as the aminoglycoside antibiotics and cisplatin. Such monitoring usually consists of behavioral pure-tone testing at baseline and during the treatment regimen.1 More recently, evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing has been compared with behavioral pure-tone monitoring in hopes that OAE testing would detect sensory damage before the onset of permanent pure-tone threshold shifts.2 The OAEs are sounds emanating from the cochlea that are recorded from the external ear canal.3 Intermodulation distortion product (DPOAE) levels can be recorded in OAE to 2-tone stimulation.4 The DPOAEs, like the other evoked OAEs, are reproducible and are vulnerable to insults that damage cochlear outer hair cells.5 Their usefulness in measuring ototoxicity has been suggested because they are objective (ie, they do not require subjective responses from the patient), they provide information at different frequencies, and they may be measured in a few minutes.6