Correlations between Auditory Brainstem and Steady-State Responses as a Function of Age, and Severity and Configuration of Hearing Loss.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess whether the age of patients and severity and configuration of hearing loss would impact on the correlations between auditory brainstem response (ABR) and auditory steady-state response (ASSR) results. METHODS: ASSR and ABR test results of 806 ears were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: The ASSR thresholds correlated significantly with click ABR (c-ABR) thresholds (p < 0.01), especially at 2 to 4 kHz. The correlations were significant in all age groups and severities and configurations of hearing loss (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Since c-ABR responses help detect hearing thresholds between 2 and 4 kHz and ASSRs help detect hearing thresholds between 0.5 and 4 kHz, these tests should be complementary when low frequencies are also involved in hearing loss. Otherwise, the outcomes of ABR and ASSR tests seem comparable independent of age of the patients and configuration and severity of hearing loss.