Intra-operative recordings of electrically evoked auditory nerve action potentials in young children by use of neural response telemetry with the nucleus C124M cochlear implant.

The electrically evoked action potential (EAP) was recorded intra-operatively by use of neural response telemetry (NRT) on the Nucleus C124M cochlear implant. The aim of the present study was to investigate the EAP in young children immediately following implant surgery and whilst the children were still anaesthetized. The effect of data collection parameters on the reliability of the EAP was assessed and the relationships of the EAP findings to the intra-operative electrical auditory brainstem response (EABR) and early behavioural threshold levels (T-levels) were also investigated. The study data comprised intra-operative recordings in 60 children. Age at implantation was less than five years in 42 (70%) of the children. Aetiology of deafness was congenital in the majority of children (55, 92%), meningitic in four children and of unknown origin in one child. Optimum test parameters for the intra-operative EAP were an amplifier gain of 40 dB and a delay of 50 micros in order to minimize the effects of amplifier saturation due to stimulus artefact and to maximize the identification of the N1 component. An intra-operative protocol was established which involved recording four stimulus levels on each of the 22 electrodes of the electrode array, the range of stimulus levels being tailored towards the expected EAP thresholds and T-levels so as to identify response threshold. There was significant correlation between the intraoperative EAP thresholds and the early T-levels (Pearson's r = 0.93 ;p<0.01) when a correction factor was introduced based on a reliable behavioural measure of the threshold of electrical stimulation on electrode 10. The intra-operative EAP threshold, when combined with a limited amount of behavioural data, may therefore be used to predict the T-level with a useful degree of accuracy. This result is also supported by the significant correlation observed between the intra-operative thresholds of the EAP and EABR.