title: Audiometric estimation error with the ABR in high risk infants.
abstract: Click ABR wave V thresholds in the first year were compared with follow-up behavioural pure-tone audiometry under earphones at age 3 to 6 years in 713 infants (yielding 1,367 ears) at risk for hearing loss. The observed accuracy of the ABR depends strongly on the precise definitions of the target disorder and the test abnormality criteria. For sensorineural hearing loss of more than 20 dB averaged at 2 kHz and 4 kHz, the click ABR provides an accurate test, with both false positive and false negative rates of less than 10%, using an ABR threshold criterion of 30 dB nHL. The false positive error rate can be at least halved by using a simple rule for wave V latency that discriminates conductive and sensorineural ABR threshold abnormalities. False negative errors may be explicable in terms of the lack of frequency specificity of the click stimulus.
authors.affiliation: Otologic Function Unit, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Malizia
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Riko
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Alberti
mesh_terms: D001300:Audiometry, Evoked Response; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011930:Reaction Time