Threshold estimation in children using auditory steady-state responses to multiple simultaneous stimuli.
OBJECTIVE
It was the aim of this study to explore the use of auditory steady-state response (ASSR) to multiple simultaneous stimuli for threshold estimation in young children.


METHODS
The subjects consisted of 40 children, aged from 6 months to 5 years, with variant degrees of sensorineural hearing loss. Simultaneous tonepips (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz) with an amplitude modulated at different rates from 77 to 103 Hz were presented to both ears by insert phones. All children were tested with ASSR and age-appropriate behavioral tests.


RESULTS
We found that (1) ASSR thresholds were usually higher than behavioral thresholds with a difference of 8-15 dB, (2) the behavioral thresholds were significantly correlated with ASSR thresholds (p = 0.000), and (3) there was a great difference between ASSR thresholds and behavioral thresholds found in a child with auditory neuropathy.


CONCLUSIONS
Being objective, frequency specific and well correlated with behavioral thresholds, ASSR to multiple simultaneous stimuli was proven to be a good tool to predict behavioral hearing thresholds.
Han
Demin
D
Clinical Audiology Center, Beijing Institute of ORL, TongRen Hospital, Capital University of Medical Science, Beijing, China. handm@trhos.com
Mo
Lingyan
L
Liu
Hui
H
Chen
Jing
J
Huang
Lihui
L
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001299:Audiometry / Q000379:methods; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male