The difference between Chirp & Click stimulation in Diagnostic Auditory Brainstem Response in assessment of hearing among age group between 1-10 years Iraqi children

Background: Aim: To compare the response of human auditory brain stem evoked by clicks stimuli and chirps. Patients and Methods: A study of cross-sectional design was chosen to evaluate the objective of the study. Children between 1-10 years were enrolled from the attendants of the Dept. of Surgery and Audiology, Al-Jamhoori Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Health /Nineveh health Directorate, and the outpatient clinics in al-alwiyah teaching hospital for children and done in the privet clinics of the researchers. The data collection extended over the period from 2019 January to 2020 August. A total number of 70 children involved in the study according to the parents’ complaints, full history taken and the clinical examination by otoscopy. The probable conductive problem excluded by using the Tympanometry. Moreover, free field test was done before chirp and click. Paired t-test was used for the statistical analysis. Results: The males represent (44.3%) and the females (55.7%). The mean age of children included was 49 months ± 27.7 SD. Wave V of the chirp shows lower latency means in all intensities in comparison with that of click stimuli. While waves I and III, show longer latency as the intensity go down, but the differences between chirp and click are insignificant. Wave V amplitudes getting lower values as the intensity decreasing in both chirp and click and become significantly higher than that of click. Wave I and III show decreasing amplitudes with the decreasing intensity in both chirp and click, with higher amplitudes in click in comparing with that of chirp, which are insignificant statistically down to below 70 dBnHL. Conclusions: The chirp stimuli are highly significant and more efficient from the click in the detection of hearing loss among the children regarding both latency and amplitude particularly at wave V.