Estimating Hearing Thresholds in Hearing-Impaired Adults through Objective Detection of Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials
Abstract
Background: Hearing threshold estimation based on cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) has been applied for some decades. However, available research is scarce evaluating the accuracy of this technique with an automated paradigm for the objective detection of CAEPs.
Purpose: To determine the difference between behavioral and CAEP thresholds detected using an objective paradigm based on the Hotelling’s T2 statistic. To propose a decision tree to choose the next stimulus level in a sample of hearing-impaired adults. This knowledge potentially could increase the efficiency of clinical hearing threshold testing.
Research design: Correlational cohort study. Thresholds obtained behaviorally were compared with thresholds obtained through cortical testing.
Study sample: 34 adults with hearing loss participated in this study.