Meningitis-related hearing loss evaluated with evoked potentials

Sixty-seven children with meningitis, ranging in age from 1 month to 14 years, were studied using brainstem auditory evoked potentials. Abnormal results were present in 60% of the subjects. Serial studies were obtained in 30% of the abnormal patients, 75% of whom demonstrated continued abnormalities on subsequent examination. Abnormal studies were found only in those patients who were 6 years of age or younger. The most prominent finding was an increased interwave interval resulting from increased wave V latencies. Additional abnormalities included an increased slope of the latency-intensity function suggestive of sensory-neural hearing loss. These studies clearly indicate the significance of early detection by the use of evoked potentials in the early diagnosis of hearing disorders in children with meningitis.