Suggested Nomenclature for Impedance Audiometry

AS THE use of electro-acoustic impedance bridges becomes more common in audiology clinics, the need for a standard nomenclature is increasingly evident. The purpose of this editorial is to propose a standardized terminology that can serve as the basis for subsequent discussion. There is, I believe, a growing consensus among bridge users that the terms "absolute" and "relative," as applied to impedance measurements, should be abandoned in favor of the terms "static" and "dynamic." The term static is intended to connote that measurement is made in the resting state, while the term dynamic implies measurement of how function varies with changes in relevant variables. Thus, the compliance measured at the resting state would be called the "static compliance" of the middle ear, the resistance so measured would be the "static resistance," etc. On the other hand the compliance measured under conditions of varying air pressure in the external canal would