Establishing normal hearing with the dichotic multiple-frequency auditory steady-state response compared to an...

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Neuroscience
• Hearing Science

Background:

• Accurate estimation of normal hearing is crucial for diagnosing hearing loss.
• Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) are electrophysiological measures used to assess hearing thresholds.
• Comparing the clinical utility of different ASSR and ABR protocols is essential for optimizing audiological assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical usefulness of the dichotic multiple-frequency (MF) auditory steady-state response (ASSR) technique.
• To compare MF ASSR with 0.5-kHz tone burst and broadband click auditory brainstem response (ABR) protocols for estimating normal hearing in adults.
• To assess the time efficiency of the MF ASSR and ABR protocols.

Main Methods:

• A comparative experimental research design was employed.
• Dichotic MF ASSR was used to estimate normal hearing at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz.
• Comparisons were made with 0.5-kHz tone burst and broadband click ABR protocols, and recording times were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Dichotic MF ASSR estimated normal hearing between 30-34 dB HL across 0.5-4 kHz.
• Tone burst ABR at 0.5 kHz yielded a mean estimate of 30 dB nHL, while click ABR was 16 dB nHL.
• MF ASSR recorded 8 thresholds in 23 minutes, whereas ABR recorded 4 thresholds in 25 minutes.

Conclusions:

• Both dichotic MF ASSR and ABR protocols offer time-efficient estimation of normal hearing.
• No significant difference was found between tone burst ABR and MF ASSR for estimating normal hearing at 0.5 kHz.
• The dichotic MF ASSR technique demonstrated greater time efficiency by obtaining more thresholds in less time compared to the ABR protocol.