Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of round window electrocochleography for the estimation of hearing thresholds in difficult-to-test children.
Study design: The study was a retrospective analysis.
Setting: A standard day-stay operating room was used.
Patients: Round window electrocochleography was performed on 198 children between January 1993 and January 1996.
Intervention: The intervention was diagnostic.
Main outcome measure: Clinically reliable pure-tone audiograms were obtained in 101 patients (50.9%) for comparisons of electrocochleography and behavioral thresholds.
Results: The mean differences between electrocochleography and behavioral thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz were less than 6 dB. Ninety-seven percent of the results were within +30 to -30 dB, and approximately 86% of the results were within +20 to -20 dB. Good correlation coefficients of 0.83, 0.84, 0.91 and 0.88 were found between electrocochleography and behavioral thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz, respectively. Only 2 of 395 ears were complicated postoperatively by suppurative otitis media. There were no anesthetic complications.
Conclusion: Round window electrocochleography can be used in conjunction with other audiometric methods for threshold estimations in the difficult-to-test children and as part of the preoperative assessment for cochlear implantation.