Presentation of the Reproducibility Term to Optimise Automatic Construction of the Latency-Intensity Curve from Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials

摘要

This article defines a new approach enabling automatic construction of the Latency-Intensity curve for the examination of Brainstem Auditor)' Evoked Potential (hereafter referred to as BAEP) in human beings. This examination is part of a series of auditory exams and is widely used by ORL specialists because it is objective and requires no active participation from the patient. In addition, it directly corresponds the complete functionality of the auditory system, particularly the interior part of the ear (from the cochlea to the cerebral trunk). The specific forms of Latency-Intensity enable ORL specialists to easily identify useful characteristics for arriving at a diagnostic. Our approach takes into consideration the coherency of various recordings, obtained at different stimulus intensities, in order to better evaluate the auditory examination as a whole. In the article we define the reproducibility term and we present all possible cases for its use. When we then applied this method to the real signals recorded on humans in a clinic we received positive results which validated the system's capabilities. The goal in creating an automatic system is to provide a diagnostic aid for ENT specialists; a simple system which facilitates practical application and diagnosing of deafness in children.