Hearing threshold estimation by auditory steady state responses (ASSR) in children

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Pediatric Medicine
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Accurate hearing threshold identification in young children presents significant challenges.
• Auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a standard electrophysiological test, but auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is emerging as a viable alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of auditory steady-state response (ASSR) in comparison to auditory brainstem response (ABR) and pure tone audiometry (PTA) for assessing hearing thresholds in children with sensorineural hearing loss.
• To determine the effectiveness of ASSR in predicting hearing thresholds, especially in younger children and at lower frequencies.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study involving 42 children (3-189 months) with sensorineural hearing loss (thresholds ≥ 40 dB HL).
• All participants underwent ABR, ASSR, and pure tone audiometry (PTA).
• Children were grouped based on age to allow for sequential or simultaneous testing.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in hearing threshold levels across tested frequencies (0.25-4 kHz) between PTA, ABR, and ASSR among the study groups.
• For younger children (Group A), ASSR and ABR thresholds showed no significant difference compared to later PTA results.
• ASSR demonstrated particular effectiveness in predicting hearing thresholds at lower frequencies (e.g., 0.5 kHz).

Conclusions:

• Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is an effective and reliable electrophysiological procedure for determining hearing thresholds in young children.
• ASSR is a valuable tool, especially for predicting hearing loss at lower frequencies, complementing traditional methods like ABR and PTA.