Abstract
The clinical uses of electrocochleography are reviewed with some technical notes on the apparatus needed to get clear recordings under different conditions. Electrocochleography can be used to estimate auditory thresholds in difficult to test children and a golf club electrode is described. The same electrode can be used to obtain electrical auditory brainstem responses (EABR). Diagnostic testing in the clinic can be performed with a transtympanic needle electrode, and a suitable disposable monopolar electrode is described. The use of tone bursts rather than click stimuli gives a better means of diagnosis of the presence of endolymphatic hydrops. Electrocochleography can be used to monitor the cochlear function during surgery and a long coaxial cable, which can be sterilized, is needed to avoid electrical artifacts. Recently electrocochleography has been used to monitor cochlear implant insertion and to record residual hearing using an electrode on the cochlear implant array as the non-inverting (active) electrode.
Highlights
The clinical uses of electrocochleography are reviewed with some technical notes on the apparatus needed to get clear recordings under different conditions
Babies can be tested during natural sleep or sedation using auditory brainstem responses (ABR), steady state evoked potentials (SSEP), and cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEP)
Sometimes muscle artifacts contaminated the traces. The results of this test were disappointing as it no convincing positives were encountered and it seemed that round window perilymph fistulas were either very rare or the test was invalid
Summary
The Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre, University of Sydney, Gladesville, NSW, Australia. The clinical uses of electrocochleography are reviewed with some technical notes on the apparatus needed to get clear recordings under different conditions. Electrocochleography can be used to estimate auditory thresholds in difficult to test children and a golf club electrode is described. Electrocochleography can be used to monitor the cochlear function during surgery and a long coaxial cable, which can be sterilized, is needed to avoid electrical artifacts. The electrocochleogram (EcochG) reveals the electrical potentials derived from the cochlea. It is the equivalent for the ear of the electrocardiogram for the heart but it has been largely neglected by clinicians as it can be difficult to obtain unless minor invasive surgery is undertaken. Non-medical clinicians cannot legally undertake the surgery and medical clinicians may not choose to expend their time on a minor procedure
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