Auditory evoked potentials, also known as brainstem evoked potentials, are obtained by stimulating the auditory system with click stimuli. The brain responds to this stimulus by sending out small electrical voltage potentials, which our neural monitoring technologists record through electrodes that are placed on the scalp. By monitoring these neural action potentials between the cochlea (the inner ear cavity that contains nerve endings essential for hearing) and the aural processing centers in the brain, our neural monitoring technologists are able to determine whether or not the patient's hearing has been damaged or otherwise affected during surgery.
Determining whether or not the patient's hearing has been affected can be complicated when you consider the fact that the evoked response may vary if the auditory nerve is disturbed or the brainstem retracts. Therefore, our neural monitoring technologists must use their expertise in neuromonitoring to evaluate the data and come up with an accurate conclusion. If the auditory evoked potentials do not stimulate a response, our neural monitoring technologists will work with the surgeon to prevent permanent neural damage.
Auditory evoked potentials are used during surgeries that put the eighth cranial nerve and the auditory brainstem pathways at risk. These procedures may include:
There are advantages to using auditory evoked potentials during surgery. By monitoring the auditory structures, permanent hearing loss that may result from nerve damage during surgery can be prevented.
The disadvantage of auditory evoked potentials is that they may be inaccurate due to disturbances of the auditory nerve or retractor disturbances of the brainstem. Such disturbances may change the evoked response, and therefore require our neural monitoring technologists to closely evaluate the data to properly determine the results.
Our neural monitoring technologists have extensive experience monitoring the auditory evoked potentials during surgery and deciphering the data to determine the cause of each evoked response. Contact Biotronic today to schedule our neural monitoring technologists for your next surgery, and rest assured that your patients will be given the best care possible. We have the knowledge and skills to protect them better than anyone else in the industry.
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If you need auditory evoked potentials for a surgical procedure, schedule an appointment with our qualified clinicians today. We have skills and expertise in all areas of neuromonitoring to keep your patients safe during surgery.