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Prediction of frequency-specific hearing threshold using chirp auditory brainstem response in infants with hearing
Zheng-min Xu1, Wen-xia Cheng1, Zhi-hong Yao1
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, 399 Wan Yuan Road, Shanghai 201102, PR China.
Insights
LS-chirp auditory brainstem response (ABR) accurately estimates behavioral hearing thresholds in infants with mild to severe hearing loss. This method offers higher sensitivity and accuracy than ASSR for frequency-specific threshold measurement in young children.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Medicine
Background:
- Accurate estimation of behavioral hearing thresholds in infants is crucial for early diagnosis and intervention of hearing loss.
- Traditional methods for assessing hearing in infants can be challenging due to their limited cooperation.
- LS-chirp auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a non-invasive electrophysiological technique used to assess auditory function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical utility of LS-chirp ABR for estimating behavioral hearing thresholds in young children (6-12 months) with mild to severe hearing losses.
- To compare LS-chirp ABR thresholds with visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) thresholds across different frequency bands.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-eight infants (136 ears) with bilateral mild to severe hearing losses were included.
- LS-chirp ABR thresholds (low-frequency and high-frequency bands) were recorded.
- Thresholds were statistically compared with VRA thresholds using correlation coefficients.
Main Results:
- LS-chirp ABR thresholds closely approximated behavioral hearing levels, with mean differences within 5 dBHL.
- The smallest mean threshold difference (<3 dBHL) was observed in the severe hearing loss group.
- High correlation coefficients (r=0.97) were found between LS-chirp ABR and VRA thresholds for both low and high-frequency bands.
Conclusions:
- LS-chirp ABR is effective in predicting frequency-specific hearing thresholds, particularly for low and middle frequencies, in young children.
- The accuracy of LS-chirp ABR in determining behavioral thresholds was better for severe hearing losses compared to mild ones.
- LS-chirp ABR demonstrates superior sensitivity and accuracy for measuring frequency-specific thresholds in young children compared to auditory steady-state evoked response (ASSR).
Objectives:
To investigate the clinical usefulness of the LS-chirp auditory brainstem response for estimation of behavioral thresholds in young children with mild to severe hearing losses.
Methods:
68 infants (136 ears) aged 6-12 months (mean age=9.2 months) with bilateral mild to severe hearing losses were studied at Children's Hospital of Fudan University. In all cases, the children were referred for LS-chirp ABR and visual reinforcement audiometric (VRA) measurements. The low-frequency band chirp (LF-chirp) thresholds (frequency band=0.1-0.85kHz) were compared to the average VRA thresholds (frequency band=0.25-0.5kHz), whereas the high-frequency band chirp (HF-chirp) thresholds (frequency band=1-10kHz) were compared to the average VRA thresholds (frequency band=1-4kHz) using statistical correlation coefficient values.
Results:
The LS-chirp ABR thresholds are very close to behavioral hearing levels. The mean differences between chirp-ABR and VRA thresholds were within 5dBHL for all measurements. The smallest mean threshold difference (<3dBHL) was obtained for the severe hearing loss group. The correlation coefficient values (r) were 0.97 at low-frequency and high-frequency bands. For each carrier frequency, the best correlations between chirp-ABR thresholds and VRA thresholds were obtained at VRA frequency of 0.25kHz/LF-chirp (r=0.98) and VRA frequency of 1kHz/HF-chirp (r=0.98).
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates the effectiveness using chirp-ABR predicted frequency-specific thresholds, especially of low and middle frequencies. LS-chirp ABR thresholds determined behavioral thresholds in patients with severe hearing losses were better than for mild hearing losses. The use of a chirp-ABR testing ensures higher sensitivity and accuracy than that of auditory stead-state evoked response (ASSR) for measuring frequency-specific thresholds in young children.
