Study of Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry to Assess Hearing Loss in High Risk Children Below 5 Years

Abstract

Early detection of hearing loss and intervention is very important for the development of normal speech and language. A prospective study of brainstem evoked response audiometry to access hearing loss in high risk children below 5 years of age, to find out the incidence of hearing loss in children from high risk category and to determine the threshold of hearing by brainstem evoked response audiometry in high risk children by observing wave 'V' at the minimum intensity of click stimulus. 100 children having one or more high-risk factors for hearing loss (up to 5 years of age) according to the inclusion criteria had been selected for the study from the outpatient department. This study showed that BERA was found to be a useful, accurate tool to detect the type of hearing loss and the site of defect in auditory transmission of sound. This aids in planning the mode of intervention for early rehabilitation for speech and language development.