[Prospective study with auditory evoked potentials of the brain stem in children at risk].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate methods of hypoacusis screening.


METHODS
The early detection of audition problems is vital for quick rehabilitation. For this reason, resting on the criteria of the Comisión Española para la Detección Precoz de la Hipoacusia (Spanish Commission for the Early Detection of Hypoacusis), we have carried out a prospective study, from January to May 1998, evaluating patients at risk of suffering from hypoacusis. The study included 151 patients with ages between birth and 14 years. Medical records and brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAER) were carried out.


RESULTS
The most common reason for requesting a consultation for the 151 patients included in our study was the suspicion of hypoacusis. Seventy-one (47%) presented pathological BAER, 37 of them were bilateral. In most cases the loss of audition was of cochlear origin, with 11 patients having a serious deafness, 4 with bilateral affection (3 suspicious of hypoacusis and 1 of hyperbilirubinemia) and 7 unilateral deafness.


CONCLUSIONS
BAER is a good screening method for children at risk. It is an innocuous, objective and specific test that does not require the patient's collaboration. The level of positives is high (47%).
Navarro Rivero
B
B
Servicio de Neurofisiología Clínica, Hospital Universitario Materno Infantil de Canarias, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
González Díaz
E
E
Marrero Santos
L
L
Martínez Toledano
I
I
Murillo Díaz
M J
MJ
Valiño Colás
M J
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors