Does frequency-specific cortical auditory evoked potential accurately reflect the behavioural hearing threshold?

Abstract

Background: One of the most important and clinically useful aspects of the CAEP is that in adults, the response can be observed close to, and therefore can be used as an objective estimator of the auditory threshold. This has obvious applications in patients that cannot or will not produce reliable responses during pure tone audiometry (PTA). Objectives: to correlate the hearing threshold level measured objectively by N1-P2 CAEP at different tonal frequencies to behavioural hearing threshold level. Methods: Included 77 adult subjects. Hearing threshold was measured behaviourally by PTA then objectively by N1-P2 CAEP. Ears were divided into similar degree of hearing /hearing loss et each frequency in each group to resemble a flat audiogram configuration. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between PTA threshold and N1P2 threshold at the four tested frequencies in the different hearing degrees groups of the study, except for statistically significant lower N1P2 threshold than PTA threshold in the profound hearing loss group at 1000 and 2000 Hz. And in each of the moderate, moderately severe, Severe and profound hearing loss groups at 4000 Hz.