Application of brainstem auditory evoked potentials in evaluation of children with spastic cerebral palsy

Objective To explore the value of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) in the evaluation of spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Methods Forty five cases of CP children were recruited and divided, according to the diagnosis standards, into three groups: diplegia, hemiplegia and tetraplegia groups. Twenty three healthy children served as control. BAEP was recorded from all the subjects and comparisons were done among the various groups. Results The abnormality rate of BAEP in the hemiplegia and tetraplegia groups was significantly higher than that in the diplegia group ( P 0.01). Conclusion BAEP is useful for early detection of the auditory deficit in CP children and can provide prognostic information for CP.