Comparison between Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) for estimated hearing thresholds of children under general anesthetics. Could the test duration be reduced by excluding 500 Hz in the ASSR measurement?

摘要

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to investigate the clinical application to use ASSR in anesthetized childrenDesignOne main ambition of the investigation was to compare hearing threshold using ABR with estimated hearing threshold using ASSR. Another aim was to examine if the duration of an ASSR measurement could be reduced by only using the frequencies 1, 2 and 4 kHz and exclude the frequency 0.5 kHz. This is a retrospective study using electrophysiological measurement from a database.ResultResults showed a high correlation between hearing threshold using ABR and estimated thresholds using ASSR, with the frequency 0.5 kHz showing a slightly lower correlation. Result also showed that the test duration was increased when using all test frequencies in ASSR-measurement compared to when 0.5kHz was excluded. ConclusionThe study showed a high correlation when comparing hearing threshold using ABR and ASSR. Although the frequency 0.5 kHz showed a slightly lower correlation, it should still be included in the tests because it supplies vital information about the bass regionThe mean test duration for both types of hearing threshold measurements on anesthetized children was 56 minutes. This is a reasonable time to use on anesthetized children. The test duration was reduced when excluding the test frequency 0.5kHz in ASSR-measurement. The relatively short duration required for both test methods is enabled by the absence of disturbances when testing children under general anesthetics. ABR and ASSR should both be used together when estimating threshold in anesthetized children.