Steady-state auditory evoked potential in children and adolescents

Introduction: The applicability of the Steady-State Auditory Evoked Potential has grown in audiological diagnosis. Objective: To investigate the correlation between the electrophysiological thresholds and behavioural thresholds in individuals with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss. Method: We evaluated 25 individuals of both genders aged between 5 and 15 years divided into the following groups: 15 individuals with normal hearing and 10 individuals with moderate and moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss. The individuals were submitted to pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry, acoustic impedance and Steady-State Auditory Evoked Potential. Results: In the group with normal hearing, the maximum thresholds electrophysiological ranged from 19 to 27dBcgNA. In the group with moderate and moderately severe hearing loss the correlation was 0.42 to 0.74. Mean differences in electrophysiological and behavioural thresholds were between -0.3 and 12dB for the normal hearing group, -9 and 2dB in the moderate and moderately hearing loss group. Conclusion: In the group with normal hearing there was no correlation between the electrophysiological and behavioural thresholds, however positive correlation was found in the group with loss of moderate and moderately severe.