A Multicentre Database for Normative Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials (BAEPs) in Children: Methodology for Data Collection and Evaluation.
BACKGROUND
The influence of physiological and methodological factors on recordings of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) is greater in children than in adults.


OBJECTIVE
To collect and evaluate BAEP data in normal children, and measure intra- and inter-laboratory variability.


METHODS
Seven hundred and fifty unselected BAEP recordings were collected and evaluated from children ranging from neonates to 14-year-olds by eight laboratories in Italy.


RESULTS
In newborns, three laboratories showed satisfactory concordance; wave I was more broadly distributed than wave V and IPL I-V. The evaluation of pooled BAEP data from the older children showed that laboratories with age-matched data gave overlapping results; those with unmatched-age data differed significantly. The sound intensities of the laboratories did not significantly affect absolute BAEP latencies or IPLs. Females had shorter latencies than males; the difference was not significant. A single exponential regression model was an adequate but not the best predictor of normal data.


CONCLUSIONS
The pooled data were consistent with the physiological maturation of the brainstem acoustic pathway. The BAEPs was reliably normalised using the natural logarithm of age. The differences between Centres were related to sample size, measurement accuracy, and inclusion and selection criteria.


CONCLUSIONS
The creation of multicentre common database from an unmatched data collection is feasible and reliable enough for clinical diagnosis and multicentre clinical research.
Scaioli
Vidmer
V
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Neurologico C. Besta, Milan.
Brinciotti
Mario
M
Di Capua
Matteo
M
Lori
Silvia
S
Janes
Augusta
A
Pastorino
Giancarlo
G
Peruzzi
Cinzia
C
Sergi
Paola
P
Suppiej
Agnese
A