Auditory neuropathy

Abstract

Some patients visit the doctor because of hearing problems in noise. The hearing examination, however, does not show any specifics. Only an extended and targeted investigation leads to the suspicion of auditory neuropathy, which means altered temporal coding of the acoustic signal and explains the problems. Additional investigations show pathology of the synapse between the inner auditory sense and the auditory nerve or the process of conduction along the nerve. The combination of otoacoustic emissions and the auditory brainstem evoked potentials investigations raises the suspicion of auditory neuropathy. Auditory neuropathy occurs in both children and adults. In children, the diagnostic procedure is quite difficult.