Auditory brainstem response in obstructive sleep apnea patients

Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were recorded in 79 patients diagnosed as suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The patients were divided into three subgroups (mild, moderate and severe) according to the severity of the syndrome. A statistically significant prolongation was found in the latency values of waves I, III and V in all three subgroups, compared to a control group of 29 healthy subjects. The transmission time between waves I and III and I and V was found to be prolonged in the moderate and severe OSA subgroups, compared to the control group. However, from a clinical point of view only 10% (eight patients) of the OSA group showed a clinically significant prolongation in their ABR latency values compared to the norms (mean +/- 2SD) of the specific ABR recording system used in this study. In addition, 36 of the OSA group underwent uvulopalato-pharyngoplasty (UPPP). There were no statistically significant differences in the ABR recording preoperatively versus post-operatively.