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Frequency-specific auditory brainstem responses:
relationship to behavioural thresholds in cochlear-impaired adults.
Abstract
Auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds to ipsilaterally masked tone
pip stimuli were obtained from three groups of hearing-impaired subjects. Using
high-pass (for 500 Hz tone pips) and notched noise (for 1, 2 and 4 kHz tone
pips), ABR thresholds in subjects with low-frequency, high-frequency or flat
cochlear hearing losses were compared to conventional pure tone audiometric
thresholds.
A strong positive correlation was found between ABR and behavioural threshold
elevation.
Absolute ABR thresholds at 500 Hz were significantly higher than those at
other frequencies.
The results of this study indicate that frequency-specific ABR testing can
provide an approximation of both degree and configuration of hearing loss in
adults. Further refinements of testing and judging procedures are needed,
however, to reduce the variation evident in our results and thus achieve the
accuracy required for most clinical applications.
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