Evoked response audiometry in patients with peripheral hearing loss

Abstract

The acoustically-evoked vertex response has been studied in normally-hearing subjects and those with peripheral hearing losses, including both sensorineural and conductive losses. Comparison of evoked response (ERA) thresholds with those determined by conventional manual (subjective) audiometry give results similar to those obtained by other workers. Of particular note was an ability to demonstrate an increase in amplitude and a reduction in latency of the evoked response when the ear was occluded in subjects with normal sound transmitting mechanisms, but not in cases of conductive hearing losses. Thus we are now able to perform the Bing test objectively.

Key Words:

• Conductive hearing loss
• Electric Response Audiometry (ERA)
• N₁ Peak latency
• Bone-conduction audiometry
• Air-conduction audiometry