PURPOSE: analyze and correlate the findings of the frequency specific auditory brainstem response and behavioral assessment by air and bone conduction in children with sensorineural hearing loss or mixed hearing loss. METHOD: the sample was composed of ten children up to three years old, diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss. We conducted the FS-ABR in the frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz and behavioral audiometry in the same frequencies, by air and bone conduction. The results of both procedures were correlated in order to verify if the FS-ABR is able to predict auditory status of children with hearing impairment. RESULTS: it was observed a strong correlation between the two procedures in the four frequencies studied by air conduction; for bone conduction, found a strong correlation was found in the frequencies of 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz and a moderate correlation at 4 kHz. CONCLUSION: FS-ABR estimated the hearing with strong accuracy when compared to behavioral audiometry. Thus, the application of FS-ABR enables the estimation of hearing status until they can be determined by behavioral hearing tests in the population studied.
Auditory, Evoked Response; Child; Hearing Loss; Hearing
