[The diagnosis of auditory neuropathy in young children].

OBJECTIVE

To present the clinical data of a group of children with audiological profile of auditory neuropathy.

METHOD: Forty-eight infants and young children who had severely abnormal click ABRs along with present CMs and/or DPOAEs were included in this retrospective study. Click ABRs, CMs, DPOAEs, tympanograms, behavioral thresholds and inner ear MRI were analysed.

RESULT: Fourty children present with bilateral audiological profile of AN, 8 were unilateral. Most of the ears (68.2%) were of absent click ABRs at the maximum presentation level of 100 dB nHL. However, some of them had repeatable Wave V at very high presentation levels. All ears showed present CMs while only 41.7% showed preserved DPOAEs. Four children were diagnosed as CND by further investigation of inner ear MRI.

CONCLUSION

It is recommended that CM testing be carried out routinely in children with severely abnormal click ABRs so as not to miss out AN; Behavioral hearing can not be predicted by auditory evoked responses; if audiological profile of AN is detected, further MRI exploration of well-developed cochlear nerve is necessary.