Summary

Two hundred children ranging in age from 6–12, were tested by fixed-frequency Békésy-audiometry.

51% of the children between 6–8 years, 77% between the age of 8–10 and 92% of the children over 10 years, yielded a useful tracing for the diagnosis.

Using Békésy-audiometry 1. is easier for localisation of the damage in cases of sensorineural hearing loss, and 2. the use of an interrupted tone according to the “Lengthened Off Time” procedure, helps greatly for the diagnosis when a functional hearing loss is suspected. Besides, it is very easy to distinguish a false Békésy-tracing, because we are rarely sure if a child under 10 years has answered correctly, during the conventional audiometry.