Acoustic brainstem responses for clinical use: a comparison of pure tone stimuli with wide band clicks

The acoustic brainstem response (ABR) in clinical use is generally elicited by a wide band click stimulus. This gives a well-synchronized response detectable at low sound intensities, but requires tedious biological recalibration which could be largely eliminated by the use of pure tone pip stimuli. We have therefore assessed ABRs in response to pure tone pips at 2 KHz and 4 KHz. This has shown that these tone pips elicit a much poorer response than clicks, having thresholds which are both significantly higher, and more widely distributed. We therefore conclude that wide band clicks remain the most satisfactory stimulus for clinical use.