[Oto-acoustic emissions. II. Spontaneous oto-emissions: results in normal subjects or patients with tinnitus]. / Les oto-émissions acoustiques. II. Les oto-émissions spontanées: résultats chez des sujets normaux ou présentant des acouphènes.

Sounds can be emitted by the cochlea in the absence of any stimulation. This phenomenon is called spontaneous oto-acoustic emissions (SOAEs) and they can be recorded in the external auditory canal using a sensitive microphone. This phenomenon seems to be due to an abnormality of the active cochlear mechanisms. SOAEs have been studied in 140 human subjects, 140 of them suffering with tinnitus, while 80 were used as the control group. SOAEs have been studied as a function of age, and of the audiometric state. Possible relationships between SOAEs and tinnitus have also been studied. This study shows the interest of recording SOAEs for an early diagnosis of cochlear dysfunction. It also shows that there is no clear correlation between tinnitus and SOAEs.