Auditory Brainstem
Response
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) determines how
well sounds travel through auditory nerve pathways to the part of the brain
called the brainstem. While a hearing evaluation evaluates how well you hear
and process sound information, the ABR monitors the neural pathway.
ABRs are
recommended for infant hearing and
evaluating the hearing of young children or even adults that do not perform well
on traditional hearing tests. ABRs allow the audiologist to estimate the
sensitivity of the ear to sound to determine if the neural pathway is
functioning normally or is delayed.
Testing
for the ABR includes having electrodes placed on the forehead, top of head and
earlobes/behind the ear. Either headphones or insert headphones are placed in
the ears and produce a clicking sound to the ear. These sounds cause the neural
responses that are transferred through the electrodes and passed through a
sensitive computer to be recorded. The audiologist measures these responses to
determine if they are normal or abnormal. Average length of this test with
infant hearing and evaluating the hearing of young children can be up to three
hours, while with adults approximately one to two hours.
ABR - Instructions for Infants
ABR - Instructions for Adults
There are many conditions concerned with hearing that require clinical care by a physician or other health care professional. Listed in the directory below are some of the conditions, for which we have provided a brief overview.
If you cannot find the condition in which you are interested, please visit the Otolaryngology Online Resources page in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain additional information on that topic.
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