Evaluation of Speed and Accuracy of Next-Generation Auditory Steady State Response and Auditory Brainstem Response Audiometry in Children With Normal Hearing and Hearing Loss.

The study compared test times and threshold estimates, not the outcomes of amplification or habilitation. ASSR and ABR thresholds were not equivalent at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz, so ASSR alone may not substitute for ABR for all frequencies. The ABR protocol used automated detection and extended averaging, which may not match standard clinical ABR practice. Some threshold values were floor or ceiling values because testing did not go below 20 dB at 500 Hz or 10 dB at other frequencies, and did not go above 80 to 100 dB. Correction factors came from manufacturer data and other countries, and the authors noted they may have contributed to discrepancies. Bone conduction was often omitted, so conductive hearing loss was not fully assessed in many children. Not all children completed all eight thresholds, and incomplete test times were projected.

The supplied article text does not include a conflict-of-interest or funding declaration. The paper reports use of the Interacoustics Eclipse and ASSR correction factors from Interacoustics, and the journal metadata lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.

Do not read the faster ASSR time as proof that ASSR can replace ABR for hearing aid fitting. ASSR thresholds were lower than ABR at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz and were considered equivalent only at 4000 Hz.