Bone-conducted brainstem auditory evoked response: an integrative review

The aim of this study was to conduct an integrative review of the procedures used in the acquisition criteria of the Bone-Conducted Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials examination in order to help in the diagnosis of hearing problems. A search was conducted on the following databases: Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). The following keywords were used: AEPs, Electrophysiology and Bone Conduction, found via Descriptors in Health Sciences Headings (MeSH). The results shown are for the 35 selected studies. Most studies opted to use click stimuli and supra-aural headphones, such as the TDH-39, as conduction transducers, and the Radioear B-71 vibrator, with a pressure of 425+/- 25g, for bone conducted stimulation. It was observed that the the bone vibrator was most frequently placed in the mastoid region. The majority of studies report using alternating polarity, with different presentation rates, the most widely used being 57.7/s, with a 30-3000 Hz filter and a window of 15 ms. Most studies used a stimulus rate of 2048, and a total of 2 stimulus recordings. The Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response exam has been studied for many years and much has been written in the literature regarding acquisition and analysis, in addition to underscoring its importance for newborns.