Clinical interest of brainstem auditory evoked potentials in 72 children with inadequate language development

The present study is of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) in 72 children, of 2 to 13 years of age, showing inadequate language development. The age of the children was mainly below the age of 4 (39 cases = 54%), peaking between 3 and 4 years of age (33 cases = 46%). Even so, 82% of our patients were 3 years old or over: 64% were boys, 36% girls, the proportion of boys falling off with age 26% (19 cases) of BAEPs recorded were normal, 74% (53 cases) pathological. High prevalence of undiagnosed hearing loss was found. Physiopathological BAEP classification showed endocochlear impairment in 68% (36 cases), conductive impairment in 21% (11 cases) and retrocochlear impairment in 11% (6 cases) of subjects. Unilateral impairment (20 cases = 28%) cannot account for inadequate language development; but, in the 8 cases (11%) of total bilateral hearing loss, and the 15 cases (21%) of partial bilateral impairment, hearing loss more or equal to 50 dB HL, impaired hearing would play a role in the retardation.