Auditory steady-state response testing in children: evaluation of a new technology.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate auditory steady-state responses (ASSR) for determining frequency-specific hearing impairment and to compare this technology with conventional auditory brainstem responses (ABR). Study design The study was a prospective clinical trial. Twenty-eight pediatric patients ranging in age from 7 to 61 months who were undergoing sedated ABR testing for evaluation of hearing impairment were also evaluated using ASSR. Estimated audiograms of the ASSR are compared with the ABR results.

Results: ASSR estimated audiograms with frequency-specific information were produced for all patients in whom an ABR recording was obtained. In 20 ears in which an ABR tracing was absent at the maximum level of 90 dB, 13 ears had measurable ASSR thresholds with an average threshold of 98.9 dB at 250 to 8000 Hz.

Conclusion: ASSR showed sensitivity equal to that of ABR for individuals with hearing levels (HL) from 0 to 90 dB HL. In patients with hearing impairment greater than 90 dB normal HL (nHL), ASSR showed distinct advantage over ABR testing in that recordings were reliably produced up to 127 dB nHL.