AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS

The auditory evoked potentials test is an electrophysiological examination used to study the functionality (sensitivity, quality, and response times) of the peripheral sensory nerves.

To determine a deficit affecting the auditory nerve, the auditory evoked potentials test, also known as ABR (Auditory Brainstem Responses), is performed; if there is also a balance disorder in addition to other vestibular tests, the vestibular evoked myogenic potentials test or VEMPs (Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials) can be performed.

If the examination and other investigations have ruled out the presence of a hearing disorder attributable to a conduction deficit at the level of the external ear (for example, a wax plug) or the middle ear (alterations affecting the eardrum or the ossicular chain), the ABR can highlight possible neurosensory anomalies underlying the hearing loss and characterize it based on the nerve response to sounds of different intensity and tone.

With the ABR, it is also possible to estimate the hearing threshold of the examined ear and thus evaluate the appropriateness of applying a hearing aid to improve sound perception.
The repetition of the examination over time allows monitoring of the hearing capacity deficit.

For the correct execution of the auditory evoked potentials test, the patient is generally made to lie on a couch or sit in a chair with a headrest so that they can assume a completely relaxed position, especially at the level of the neck, face, and jaw muscles.

This examination can be performed on both adults and children with hearing loss, usually reported by the subject themselves or detected during previous tests.

This test can also be performed on newborns as a screening evaluation at birth if they are considered at risk of congenital hearing deficit (e.g., in newborns born to one or both parents with deafness, if at risk of viral infectious diseases, or due to exposure to ototoxic substances by the mother during pregnancy).

It is highly recommended that the patient brings all previous examinations related to the matter and a note of any medications taken daily or recently during the visit with the specialist.
The specialist may also indicate other examinations to be performed.

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