The effect of the click repetition rate on the latency of the auditory evoked brain stem response and its clinical use for a neurological diagnosis.

The effects of click repetition rate on the latency of the auditory brain stem responses (BSR) and its possible use as a clinical diagnostic tool of the brain stem disorders were investigated. When the click rate was increased, the latency of the BSR waves was prolonged. The latency of the later response components increased more than that of the earlier response components. This method was applied to the clinical cases with brain stem disorders. A case with a IVth ventricle epidermoid tumor showed a marked latency prolongation and disappearance of the waves at higher repetition rates. An explanation of the latency shift in the normal subjects and the abnormal responses of the patient to repetition rate is attempted.