A one-week test-retest reliability study of Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials

Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper. 1992 Jul;68(7):467-74.

Abstract

Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials (BAEPs) are increasingly used in longitudinal evaluation of brainstem function. The reliability of the neurophysiological parameters and definition of the normal test-retest variability are required for such investigations. In the present study we submitted 20 healthy volunteers (10 males and 10 females; mean age 35.1 years, range 24-49) to BAEPs in two sessions separated by seven days. The reliability of the parameters was estimated by means of intraclass correlation coefficient (R). All BAEP parameters showed excellent R values (above 0.75). In addition, the confidence interval lower limits of all R coefficients had good to excellent values. Finally we computed the upper normal limits of the test-retest variability of each parameter, with alpha = 0.01, using the within-subjects mean square. The confirmed good reliability of the analyzed parameters enables us to employ BAEPs as useful monitoring instruments in longitudinal studies.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Auditory Threshold
  • Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Time Factors