Electrically Evoked Auditory Brain-Stem Response in Pediatric Patients With Cochlear Implants

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Abstract
Objective: To study the feasibility and clinical applicability of preoperative, transtympanic electrically evoked auditory brain-stem response (EABR) in a pediatric patient population with cochlear implants. Design: A descriptive study using repeated measures analyses of variance to determine if EABR measures were affected by response configuration or cochlear status. Setting: The operating room before cochlear implant surgery. Patients: A population-based sample of 43 patients aged 2.5 to 14.5 years who were candidates for cochlear implantation. Intervention: Stimuli consisting of brief balanced biphasic current pulses were provided by a transtympanically placed promontory needle electrode; EABR was recorded with subdermal needle electrodes on the forehead and contralateral mastoid. Main Outcome Measure: Presence or absence of postoperative electrical excitability with a cochlear implant. Results: Electrically evoked auditory brain-stem responses were available from 41 of the 43 patients tested. Mean EABR threshold was 406.5 μA (SD=118.1) for 31 patients with patent cochleas and 472 μA (SD=91) for 10 patients with cochlear ossification. Mean wave V latency at threshold was 4.69 milliseconds (SD=0.57). Conclusion: Preoperative EABR is an integral component of the preoperative selection process for pediatric patients with cochlear implants. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1994;120:1083-1090)