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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Audiological results in a group of children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder
1Key Laboratory and Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China.
Insights
Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder in children is complex. Absent auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) with present cochlear microphonics (CMs) are key indicators for diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Neuroscience
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) presents diagnostic challenges in infants and young children.
- Understanding the audiological profile is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide detailed clinical information on ANSD in a pediatric cohort.
- To identify reliable audiological markers for ANSD detection.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 48 infants and young children with abnormal auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and present otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) or cochlear microphonics (CMs).
- Evaluation included click ABRs, CMs, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), behavioral thresholds, and tympanograms.
Main Results:
- 88 ears analyzed; 68.2% had absent click ABRs. Repeatable wave V ABRs were observed at 80 dB nHL in others.
- Behavioral hearing loss ranged from mild to profound.
- CMs were consistently present, while DPOAEs were found in only 40% of ears.
Conclusions:
- ANSD exhibits diverse audiological findings in children.
- Concurrent pathologies can mask ANSD.
- Absent or abnormal ABRs combined with present CMs are reliable indicators for diagnosing ANSD.
Objective:
To enrich clinical information of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.
Methods:
Forty-eight infants and young children with severely abnormal auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) along with preserved distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and/or cochlear microphonics (CMs) were included in this retrospective study. Click ABRs, CMs, DPOAEs, behavioral thresholds and tympanograms were established.
Results:
Audiological information of 88 ears (40 cases were bilateral and 8 unilateral) that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. Most of the ears (68.2%) had absent click ABRs at the maximum presentation level of 100 dB nHL, while other ears had repeatable wave V with lowest thresholds of 80 dB nHL. Behavioral hearing of 23 cases ranged from mild (n = 1), moderate (n = 2) to severe and profound loss (n = 20). CMs were present in all ears in spite of those with middle ear pathology, while DPOAEs were present only in 40% of the affected ears.
Conclusion:
Diverse results of audiological assessments are shown in this group of children. Concurrent pathologies may make auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder undetected. Absent or severely abnormal ABR along with present CMs are the most reliable measures for detecting this disorder at this stage.
