Study of brainstem auditory evoked response and biochemical markers in patients of alcohol use disorder

Objectives: Data available on brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) and its correlation with biochemical parameters in patients of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in Indian population is scanty. Therefore, this study was undertaken to focus on the effects of AUD on BAER and liver enzymes. Materials and Methods: This case-control study included 40 males in the study group who had AUD and 40 healthy males in the control group in the age group of 20–60 years. The BAER was performed using octopus NCS/ EMG/EP (Clarity) machine. The levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase and serum bilirubin were estimated in all the subjects. Results: We observed a highly significant increase in the absolute latencies of waves III and V and interpeak latencies (IPL) I-III and I-V of BAER in the patients of AUD in this study. Significant increase in the liver enzymes and especially AST/ALT ratio of patients of AUD was seen which indicated towards subclinical alcoholic hepatitis. The latencies of waves of EPs (waves III, V, IPL I-III and IPL I-V) were positively correlated with the biochemical parameters and duration of AUD. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that AUD lead to the increase in brainstem transmission time and also lead to subclinical alcoholic hepatitis which is reflected by the increase in the liver enzymes. We concluded that chronic alcohol consumption affected the auditory pathways and delayed the auditory transmission time which was suggestive of possible demyelination of auditory tracts.

Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) in Canine Otitis Externa

The objective of this study was to assess the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) wave pattern in normal dogs as well as those with otitis externa (OE). The BAER test was performed on twenty five dogs with varying degrees of OE. Our study found that BAER of ears with severe OE had prolonged latencies of all waves and lower wave I to wave V amplitude ratio compared to the mildly affected or normal ears. However the inter – peak latencies were unaffected. Thus BAER can be a useful diagnostic tool to assess the hearing impairment due to conductive deafness in OE.

Feasibility of Acupuncture to Induce Sleep for Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response Testing

Purpose Brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) testing is often performed under general anesthesia for children unable to complete behavioral audiologic evaluation. Alternatively, acupuncture treatment may be considered appropriate for BAER. Reports of acupuncture treatment in pediatric patients are scarce but are needed to demonstrate effectiveness. This study had 2 main objectives: (a) to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of acupuncture to achieve sleep to perform diagnostic BAER testing in medically complex (Cohort I) and nonmedically complex (Cohort II) children and (b) to assess acceptability to parents and audiologists of acupuncture as an alternative to anesthesia for BAER testing. Method A prospective feasibility study at Seattle Children's Hospital Outpatient Audiology Clinic from August 2015 through December 2018 was performed. A total of 31 pediatric patients were included. The median age for Cohort I was 29 months (interquartile range: 19–37 months), and the median age for Cohort II was 25.5 months (interquartile range: 16–32 months). Variables included number of BAER thresholds obtained, sleep indicators, and acceptability. The cost of BAER with acupuncture and the cost of BAER under anesthesia were compared. Results Acupuncture treatment effectively contributed to an adequate sleep state to obtain BAER results for most patients in both cohorts. Across cohorts, most patients (81%) fell asleep after acupuncture treatment. Complete test results were obtained in 48% of patients. Audiologists and parents reported high satisfaction rates with this procedure (87%). There were no adverse safety effects. Acupuncture treatment was less costly than anesthesia for BAER testing. Conclusions Acupuncture to induce sleep for BAER testing is effective, safe, and cost-efficient in small samples of medically and nonmedically complex pediatric patients. This procedure allowed earlier detection of hearing status and avoided potential adverse effects of anesthesia. Audiologists and parents reported that acupuncture treatment was an acceptable alternative to anesthesia for the BAER procedure.

Congenital sensorineural deafness in English setters in the United Kingdom: prevalence and association with phenotype and sex

BackgroundThe English setter (ES) is predisposed to congenital sensorineural deafness (CSD). CSD prevalence and association with phenotype in the UK ES population are previously unreported.MethodsThe database of the authors’ institution was searched for ES puppies undergoing brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) testing for CSD screening (2000–2018). Inclusion criteria were BAER performed at 5–10 weeks of age, testing of complete litters and available phenotypic data. The age, sex, presence of patches at birth, coat colour, iris colour, hearing status and BAER-determined parental hearing status of each puppy were recorded. Multivariable binary logistic regression was performed to determine the significance of these variables as predictors for the likelihood of puppies being unilaterally or bilaterally deaf.ResultsInclusion criteria were met for 447 puppies. Hearing was bilaterally normal in 427 (95.5 per cent) puppies. The prevalence of unilateral and bilateral CSD was 3.6 per cent and 0.9 per cent, respectively. Females were 3.3 times more likely to be deaf than males, and puppies with both parents of unknown hearing status were 4.6 times more likely to be deaf than those with at least one normal parent.ConclusionThe prevalence of CSD was 4.5 per cent, with female puppies and those with two parents of unknown hearing status at greatest risk.