Hearing assessment by recording multiple auditory steady-state responses: the influence of test duration

The influence of test duration on the precision of hearing thresholds estimated by recording multiple auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) was investigated. ASSR thresholds at four frequencies in both ears were assessed in 10 normal-hearing and 10 hearing-impaired subjects. The precision of the estimated hearing thresholds was compared for ASSR recordings of 5, 10 and 15 min per intensity level, corresponding to total test durations of approximately 30, 55 and 70 min for hearing-impaired ears. Furthermore, an intensity step size of 10 dB was compared to a step size of 5 dB. The mean difference scores averaged over the four frequencies were 15±10, 12±9 and 11±8 dB after recordings of 5, 10 and 15 min respectively. The corresponding Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.93, 0.95 and 0.96. Increasing the length of the separate recordings increases the precision of the estimates, independent of tested frequency. A compromise between both will have to be made. With a total test duration of approximately 1 h, four hearing thresholds in both ears can be estimated with a standard error of the estimate of 8dB. Sumario Se investigó la influencia de la duración de la prueba en la precisión de umbrales auditivos estimados por medio del registro múltiple de respuestas de estado estable (ASSRs). Se evaluaron los umbrales ASSR en cuatro frecuencias en ambos oídos de 10 normo-oyentes y 10 hipoacúsicos. La precisión de los umbrales auditivos estimados se comparó con los registros ASSR de 5, 10 y 15 minutos por nivel de intensidad, correspondiendo a duraciones totales de las pruebas de aproximadamente 30, 55 y 70 minutos en oídos hipoacúsicos. Incluso se compararon los intervalos de intensidad de 10 dB con los de 5 dB. La diferencia media de puntuaciones promediadas en las cuatro frecuencias fueron de 15±10, 12±9 y 11±8dB después de los registros de 5, 10 y 15 minutos, respectivamente. Los correspondientes coeficientes de correlación de Pearson fueron de 0.93, 0.95 y 0.96. El aumento en la duración de los registros separados aumenta la precisión de las estimaciones, independientemente de la frecuencia evaluada. Deberá establecerse un compromiso entre ambos. Con una duración total de la prueba de una hora se pueden estimar cuatro umbrales auditivos en ambos oídos con un error estándar de 8dB.

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