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Clinical comparison of the auditory steady-state response with the click auditory brainstem response in infants
Hyo Sook Lee1, Joong Ho Ahn, Jong Woo Chung
1Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Auditory steady state response (ASSR) effectively measures hearing thresholds in infants with suspected hearing loss, correlating well with click-auditory brainstem response (C-ABR), especially at higher frequencies.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Infant hearing loss diagnosis is critical for development.
- Accurate hearing threshold measurement in infants is challenging.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a common diagnostic tool.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) for infant hearing threshold assessment.
- To compare ASSR with Click-Auditory Brainstem Response (C-ABR) in infants.
- To establish ASSR as a reliable measure for pediatric audiology.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of audiologic profiles from 76 infants (1-12 months).
- Infants underwent both C-ABR and ASSR testing.
- ASSR thresholds were compared to normal hearing infants and adults.
Main Results:
- High correlation (r=0.94) between C-ABR and ASSR thresholds at 2-4 kHz.
- Infants showed slightly higher ASSR thresholds than adults at tested frequencies.
- ASSR provides detailed audiometric information.
Conclusions:
- ASSR is an effective tool for assessing hearing sensitivity in infants.
- ASSR aids in accurate prediction of hearing loss severity.
- Essential for managing severe to profound hearing loss in infants.
Objectives:
Our goal was to determine the effectiveness of using the auditory steady state response (ASSR) as a measure of hearing thresholds in infants who are suspected of having significant hearing loss, as compared with using the click-auditory brainstem response (C-ABR).
Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed the audiologic profiles of 76 infants (46 boys and 30 girls, a total of 151 ears) who ranged in age from 1 to 12 months (average age: 5.7 months). The auditory evaluations in 76 infants who were suspected of having hearing loss were done via the C-ABR and ASSR. In addition, for reference, the mean ASSR thresholds were compared to those of 39 ears of infants and 39 ears of adults with normal hearing at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz.
Results:
The highest correlation between the C-ABR and ASSR thresholds was observed at an average of 2-4 kHz (r=0.94). On comparison between the hearing of infants and adults at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz, the mean ASSR threshold in infants was 12, 7, 8, and 7 dB higher, respectively, than that in adults.
Conclusion:
ASSR testing may provide additional audiometric information for accurately predicting the hearing sensitivity, and this is essential for the management of infants with severe to profound hearing loss.
