ABSTRACT
Objective:
To investigate the application value of auditory steady-
state response (ASSR) combined with short
sound auditory brainstem response (ABR) for
hearing assessment in
children with sensorineural
hearing impairment, providing evidence for
clinical diagnosis of the disorder.
Methods:
A total of 90
children with sensorineural
hearing impairment who received
treatment at Jiaxing Maternity and
Child Health Care
Hospital from January 2020 to June 2021 were included in this
prospective study. These
children were randomly divided into a
control group and an
observation group ( n = 45 per group). The
children in the
control group underwent ABR testing, while those in the
observation group underwent ASSR testing in addition to ABR thresholds testing. The
hearing impairment was compared between the two groups. The ABR and ASSR thresholds were compared among
children with different degrees of
hearing impairment. The correlation between ABR and ASSR at 2 and 4 kHz carrier frequencies was analyzed in the
observation group.
Results:
The abnormal rate of
hearing in the
observation group was 68.89% (31/45), which was significantly higher than 44.44% (20/45) in the
control group ( χ2 = 5.48, P = 0.019). At a carrier frequency of 0.5 kHz, the ASSR thresholds of
children with moderate and severe
hearing impairment in the
observation group were (63.11 ± 6.82) dB nHL and (84.65 ± 5.31) dB nHL, respectively, which were significantly higher than the ABS thresholds (56.12 ± 4.63) dB nHL and (76.87 ± 5.15) dB nHL ( t = 2.94, 2.78, both P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between ABR and ASSR thresholds at 2 and 4 kHz carrier frequencies in
children with different degrees of
hearing impairment in the
observation group ( r = 0.896, 0.901, both P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
The combination of ABR and ASSR testings is more accurate in judging the degree of
hearing impairment in
children with sensorineural
hearing impairment than the ABR testing, and can provide a reliable basis for later clinical
treatment.
