Outcome of Brain Stem Auditory Electrophysiology in Children Who Survive Purulent Meningitis

Abstract

Brain stem auditory electrophysiology was assessed in children long after purulent meningitis by examining the central components of brain stem auditory evoked response (BAER) at different presentation rates of clicks. Children with peripheral hearing loss were excluded from this study to avoid any possible influence of the loss on the measurements of BAER central components. Of the 70 children who had recovered from meningitis 2 to 8 years earlier, 9 (12.9%) showed abnormalities in BAER central components — mainly a slight reduction of wave V amplitude, at the click presentation rate of 10/s. Of the remaining 61 children who did not show any obvious abnormalities in the BAER at 10/s, an abnormally prolonged I-V interval and a reduced amplitude of wave V were seen in 5 children (8.2%) at the click rate of 90/s. The total BAER abnormality rate was therefore 20.0% (14/70 cases). The results suggest that most children who survive purulent meningitis have a favorable outcome for the brain stem auditory pathway, with about 1 in 5 having mild dysfunction or a suboptimal outcome in the pathway.