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The sensitivity of auditory brainstem response testing in small acoustic neuromas
Author(s) -
Wilson David F.,
Hodgson Richard S.,
Gustafson Margaret F.,
Hogue Susan,
Mills Leigh
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-199209000-00001
Subject(s) - auditory brainstem response , medicine , electronystagmography , audiology , acoustic neuroma , brainstem , magnetic resonance imaging , caloric test , neuroma , radiology , audiometry , pathology , vestibular system , hearing loss , surgery
Auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing is a reliable and sensitive test for retrocochlear pathology in neurotologic diagnosis. Several investigators have reported the sensitivity of ABR testing as 95% or greater. 3–5 Fifty‐one consecutive patients with surgically confirmed acoustic neuromas were examined. Forty patients had sufficient hearing preoperatively for assessment with ABR. In addition, all had been evaluated with gadolinium‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and conventional electronystagmography. Overall, 34 of 40 patients (85%) had abnormal ABRs. One of 25 patients with extracanalicular tumors had a normal ABR for a false‐negative rate of 4%; however, 5 of 15 patients with intracanalicular tumors had normal ABRs for a false‐negative rate of 33%. Tumor size and nerve of origin were important factors affecting the ABR sensitivity. The ABR was less sensitive in detecting intracanalicular tumors than in detecting extracanalicular tumors.