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Hearing threshold estimation in infants using auditory steady-state responses.
Gary Rance1, Richard Roper, Lindsay Symons
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of Melbourne, Australia. grance@unimelb.edu.au
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|August 27, 2005
Summary
Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) testing accurately reflects hearing in infants with normal or sensorineural hearing loss. However, ASSR is less reliable for diagnosing auditory neuropathy-type hearing loss in newborns.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Early intervention for permanent hearing loss in infants necessitates precise audiological assessment tools.
- Accurate hearing evaluation in the first three months of life is crucial for timely intervention.
- Existing methods require validation against established behavioral audiograms in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare auditory steady-state response (ASSR) findings in infants with subsequent behavioral hearing levels.
- To evaluate the efficacy of ASSR in assessing hearing acuity across different hearing loss types in neonates.
- To determine the correlation between ASSR and behavioral audiograms in infants aged 0-3 months.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of audiological data from 575 infants tested within the first three months of life.
- ASSR audiograms generated using amplitude and frequency modulated tones at octave frequencies (500 Hz to 4 kHz).
- Comparison of ASSR thresholds with later-obtained behavioral hearing levels in normal hearing, sensorineural hearing loss, and auditory neuropathy-type hearing loss groups.
Main Results:
- High correlation (Pearson r > 0.95) between ASSR and behavioral hearing thresholds in infants with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss.
- ASSR testing demonstrated significant discrepancies in reflecting the behavioral audiogram for children diagnosed with auditory neuropathy-type hearing loss.
- Data from 575 subjects, including 285 normal hearing, 271 sensorineural hearing loss, and 19 auditory neuropathy-type hearing loss cases.
Conclusions:
- Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) testing provides a reliable measure of hearing acuity in infants with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss.
- ASSR may not be a suitable diagnostic tool for auditory neuropathy-type hearing loss in early infancy.
- ASSR testing offers valuable insights into infant hearing, supporting early identification and intervention strategies.