Optimal one- and two-dimensional filtering of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions

In the clinical use of evoked otoacoustic emissions the identification of the cochlear response and the reduction of the duration of the recording session are of great concern, especially if the recorded responses are to be used in hearing screening tasks. The aim of this paper is two-fold: to examine the potential and limits of optimal band-pass filtering to reduce the noise and increase identification of the cochlear response, and to introduce a technique of two-dimensional processing for reducing the acquisition time of TEOAEs. Band-pass filtering must guard against the loss of significant frequency components of the response; that is, the signals have to be filtered only when the filter bandwidth meets given conditions. As to test duration, preliminary results clearly indicate that two-dimensional filtering can substantially reduce the acquisition time, with only negligible losses in the basic response features, when a set of responses recorded at different stimulus levels is filtered.