Rj. Schmidt et al., The sensitivity of auditory brainstem response testing for the diagnosis of acoustic neuromas, ARCH OTOLAR, 127(1), 2001, pp. 19-22
Objectives: To determine the sensitivity of auditory brainstem response (AB
R) testing for detecting acoustic neuromas and to determine whether the tes
t is less sensitive for detecting small tumors.
Design: Retrospective review of the medical charts of 58 patients with acou
stic neuroma who had all of the data necessary for inclusion in the study.
Setting: University-affiliated referral practice of one neu rotologist.
Patients: Patients with acoustic neuromas who had both ABR tracings and mag
netic resonance imaging films available for review.
Main Outcome Measures: Positive ABR and negative ABR results correlated wit
h tumor size.
Results: Turner size ranged from 0.4 to 7 cm. The overall sensitivity of AB
R in diagnosing acoustic neuromas was 90%. However, ABR was progressively l
ess sensitive with decreasing tumor size. Only 7 (58%) of the 12 tumors 1 c
m or smaller were detected by ABR.
Conclusion: Auditory brainstem response testing cannot be relied on for det
ection of small acoustic neuromas and should not be used as a criterion to
determine whether magnetic resonance imaging should be performed when an ac
oustic neuroma is suspected clinically.