A case report of absent auditory steady-state responses in an elderly person with moderate sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

Background: Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is a test for the estimation of auditory thresholds. It is used in infants, children, and adults. This case report presented unusual ASSR results in an elderly person. The Case: Pure tone and speech audiometry, tympanometry and acoustic reflexes showed a moderate sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. However, the patient did not respond in the ASSR test to different carrier frequencies with frequency modulations of 40 and 80 Hz. Conclusion: To date, the results of the different effects of the aging process obtained from ASSR responses have been reported. However, the absence of any response in the ASSR test has never been reported. The patient in this case report may have these results because of a neural deficit.

Keywords: Sensorineural hearing loss; aging; auditory steady-state response