The Auditory Brainstem Response or ABR
is a diagnostic test that assesses the integrity of the hearing pathway from
the ear to the brainstem. The patient will be seated in a comfortable chair,
babies will be held by their parent or placed in a comfortable carrier. Using an
abrasive scrub the patient will be prepped for testing, by cleaning the
forehead and behind each ear. Electrode stickers will then be placed on the
sites that were cleaned, on the forehead and behind each ear. Headphones will then be inserted into
the right and left ears. During testing the patient will lie
still with their eyes closed, sleeping is encouraged. Sounds will be
played into the ears and recordings will be taken on a computer. The waveforms
from each ear will be evaluated by an audiologist. Test results can be used to
evaluate the integrity of the auditory pathway and to determine hearing
thresholds in each ear.
