Auditory brainstem responses elicited by 1000-Hz tone bursts in patients with sensorineural hearing loss.

Auditory brainstem responses were measured in response to 1000-Hz tone bursts from 115 patients with sensorineural hearing loss, presumably of cochlear origin. Mean wave V latencies and variability were comparable to those observed in normal hearing subjects for similar stimuli. The range of interaural differences in wave V latencies for 1000-Hz tone bursts were slightly greater than those observed for clicks, which may not be surprising, given the greater variability in wave V latencies for tonal stimulation, even in normal-hearing subjects. These differences, however, were not affected either by the magnitude or symmetry of hearing loss for frequencies at and above 1000 Hz. These data suggest that tone burst ABRs might be useful in otoneurologic evaluations, especially for patients with asymmetric hearing loss.