title: The sensitivity of auditory brainstem response testing in small acoustic neuromas.
abstract: Auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing is a reliable and sensitive test for retrocochlear pathology in neurotologic diagnosis. Several investigators have reported the sensitivity of ABR testing as 95% or greater. Fifty-one consecutive patients with surgically confirmed acoustic neuromas were examined. Forty patients had sufficient hearing preoperatively for assessment with ABR. In addition, all had been evaluated with gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and conventional electronystagmography. Overall, 34 of 40 patients (85%) had abnormal ABRs. One of 25 patients with extracanalicular tumors had a normal ABR for a false-negative rate of 4%; however, 5 of 15 patients with intracanalicular tumors had normal ABRs for a false-negative rate of 33%. Tumor size and nerve of origin were important factors affecting the ABR sensitivity. The ABR was less sensitive in detecting intracanalicular tumors than in detecting extracanalicular tumors.
authors.affiliation: Portland Ear Medical Group, Ore. 97209.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Hodgson
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Gustafson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hogue
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mills
mesh_terms: D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D002150:Caloric Tests; D003287:Contrast Media; D003390:Cranial Nerve Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005682:Gadolinium; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014725:Vestibular Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D005682:Gadolinium