Abstract
Aim: to report the recent advances of electrophysiological methods of hearing evaluation in childhood, and to highlight their indications, clinical application and interpretation. Study design: review article Material and method: we reviewed the Medline database using the keywords “hearing loss”, “hearing disorders”, childhood, “diagnosis”, “evoked potentials, auditory” and “otoacoustic emissions” in the last 20 years. Using the Medline advanced search tool, we crossed these key words and selected 41 articles. Animal studies were excluded. From these references we referred to older publications. Results: Behavioral estimates of hearing sensitivity are limited in very young children. The initial battery of audiological tests should include objective electrophysiological measures, such as otoacoustic emissions, tympanometry, stapedial reflex, auditory brainstem responses, electrocochleography and auditory steady state responses. These tests evaluate several segments of the auditory pathways. Conclusion: Physiologic methods of auditory evaluation can estimate hearing sensitivity, although they are no direct measures of hearing. Therefore the results should be “crosschecked” with behavioral tests.
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