The effects of otitis media with effusion on the measurement of auditory evoked potentials

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the impact of otitis media on auditory evoked potentials in children with a history of otitis media in comparison to a control group. Design: 90 children, with normal hearing and middle ear status at time of assessment, aged between 8 and 14 years (44 boys and 46 girls) were enrolled in this study. 50 children (28 boys and 22 girls) had a documented history of Otitis Media. The control group consisted of 40 children (17 boys and 23 girls) with no documented history of otitis media. All children completed the auditory evoked potentials tasks of Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and P300. Results: Auditory Evoked Potentials results demonstrated significantly increased latencies and decreased amplitudes in the otitis media group. ABR showed significantly latency delay of waves III and V by 0.1 msec (p < 0.001) and reduced amplitude (0.06 mu V, p = 0.002 and 0.05 mu V, p = 0.008, respectively) in the otitis media group compared to control group. P300 also showed significant latency delays (13,41 ms, p = 0.008) in otitis media group. No significant difference was seen for amplitude between CG and otitis media group for P300. Conclusion: The results demonstrate the negative effects of otitis media on auditory evoked potentials in children with a history of middle ear disease as can be seen by changes on the ABR and P300 measures.