Auditory Steady-State Responses to Narrow-Band Chirps in Predicting Aided Behavioral Thresholds

Abstract

Purpose: A review of the existing literature shows that auditory steady-state responses (ASSR) to narrow-band (NB) chirps analyzed using q sample averaging is more reliable and accurate than ASSR for modulated tones in predicting behavioral thresholds. Studies in this direction have been carried out to predict hearing sensitivity. However, there is a dearth of studies investigating ASSR for NB chirps in persons using hearing aids. The present study evaluated if ASSR for NB chirps analyzed using q sample averaging could be used to predict aided behavioral thresholds during the hearing aid selection. Specifically, the study investigated the agreement and differences between behavioral thresholds predicted from aided ASSR with aided behavioral thresholds. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of clinical records of 24 ears with hearing loss were carried out. The age of the children ranged from 3 to 5 years. Aided behavioral thresholds and aided ASSR for NB chirps were recorded at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz. Results: Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed no significant difference between aided thresholds predicted through aided ASSR and measured behavioral thresholds for all four frequencies. The Bland–Altman analysis also showed that the results of the two tests are comparable for all four frequencies. Conclusions: Aided ASSR can predict aided behavioral thresholds in children who fail to provide voluntary responses to behavioral tests, but the results need to be crosschecked using other measures. ASSR can thus be added to the protocol used for hearing aid fitting and validation in young children.