title: Speech evoked auditory brainstem response findings in children with epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Children with epilepsy are at a considerable risk of cognitive impairment and school failure. Previous studies have typically documented abnormal responses in children with epilepsy at cortical level using speech stimuli. Recent studies reported that abnormal neural encoding of a speech syllable could be detected at the level of the brainstem using speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (ABR). The aim of this study is to investigate speech-evoked (ABR) results in children with epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group consisted of 38 recently diagnosed epileptic children; none of them has received antiepileptic therapy. They were 22 males and 16 females with age 9.1 ± 3.1 years. The control group consisted of 38 healthy normal hearing children with matched age and gender distribution. All subjects underwent full history taking, basic audiologic evaluation including pure-tone, speech audiometry and immittance testing. Click ABR response was recorded monaurally from both ears at 90 dB nHL then speech ABR was recorded monaurally from each ear at 80 dB SPL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Though the study group disclosed normal click ABR compared to age matched normative values, speech-evoked ABR revealed a delayed waves V and A latencies in both ears. These findings reflect abnormal neural encoding of speech at the level of brainstem. The younger the age of epileptic child the more prolonged wave A latency and increased V/A inter-latency values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Speech-evoked ABR results denote abnormal timing in the brainstem; such brainstem abnormality could be detected by speech evoked ABR rather than conventional click evoked ABR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Audiology Unit, Ain Shams University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Rasha Hamdi
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Elkabariti
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Audiology Unit, Ain Shams University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Lobna Hamed
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ain Shams University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Rasha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Husein
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Audiology Unit, Menoufiya University, Egypt. Electronic address: Sanyelbhaa@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Hossam Sanyelbahaa
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Talaat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
keywords: Auditory processing disorder; Brainstem timing; Cognitive impairment; Speech ABR