High-frequency audiometry (HFA) is an important audiological test for early detection of hearing losses caused by leasions in the base of the cochlear duct. In recent years, its use was facilitated because audiometers began to identify frequencies higher than 8 kHz. However, there are differences related to the equipment used, the methodologies followed, and/or to the results and their interpretation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the national scientific production regarding HFA clinical application, to better understand its current use. Articles published and indexed in LILACS, SciELO and Medline databases in the last ten years were researched, using as keyword "audiometria de alta frequência/high-frequency audiometry". Twenty-four Brazilian scientific papers using HFA were found; most studies evaluated participants with ages ranging from 18 to 50 years; 13 studies used decibel hearing level (dBHL) to determine the thresholds; a few studies compared tonal auditory thresholds between groups to define normality; the authors reported significant differences in high frequency auditory thresholds among age ranges. HFA is used in audiological clinic for early identification of auditory alterations and in the auditory follow-up of subjects exposed to ototoxic drugs and/or otoagressive agents.
Hearing; Audiometry; Audiometry, pure-tone; Hearing loss; Cochlear duct
