Hearing function and auditory evoked potentials in children with spastic forms of cerebral palsy

摘要

We studied auditory short-latency brainstem and long-latency cortical evoked potentials (EP)in 62 healthy children and 126 children with spastic forms of children's cerebral palsy, CP (spastic tetraparesis, spastic diplegia, and left-and right-side hemiplegias). An increase in the thresholds of audibility (independently of the CP form) was the most typical disturbance of the function of hearing revealed by the analysis of EP recorded in children suffering from CP. Disturbances in transmission of afferent impulsation in the brain-stem structures of the auditory system and disorders in the perception of different tones within the speech frequency range were also rather frequent. Modifications of the brainstem and cortical auditory EP typical of different CP forms, in particular hemiplegias, are described. It is demonstrated that recording and analysis of EP allow one to diagnose in children with CP those disorders in the hearing function that, in many cases, are of a subclinical nature. This technique allows clinicians to examine the youngest children (when verbal contact with the child is difficult or impossible), to study brainstem EP, and to obtain more objective data; these are significant advantages, as compared with subjective audiometry.