[Comparative studies of hearing in children by recording reflex reactions and long-latency auditory evoked...

Hearing thresholds at speech frequencies in children with neurosensory hypoacusis were measured by three methods: orientation reflex (OR), wink reflex (WR) and brain acoustic evoked responses (BERA). Hearing thresholds measured by recording OR and WR were compared in 115 children (232 comparisons) and were found to coincide in about 92% of cases. Hearing thresholds at speech frequencies were measured by recording OR, WR and BERA in 55 children (103 comparisons) and were found to coincide in about 70% of cases. The discrepancy in the thresholds, especially when measured by means of BERA and WR, was seen mainly in the children who suffered from neurosensory hypoacusis and other CNS disorders (oligophrenia, residual manifestations of birth cerebral palsy with mental retardation, symptoms of sensory alalia). It is concluded that the method of recording WR allows a sufficiently accurate measurement of hearing thresholds. However, a comprehensive examination should be performed using all three methods to reveal concomitant diseases.