Impaired speech perception in noise in patients with a normal audiogram.

Patients with normal hearing acuity but complaining of impaired speech perception in noisy conditions were submitted to a test battery including the measurement of the speech reception threshold in noise and central auditory tests. In 95% of the cases the complaint was corroborated by an abnormal speech reception threshold (SRT) in noise. Central auditory tests were abnormal in 65% of the patients. Auditory brainstem-evoked potentials were measured in some of these patients and showed normal results in almost all cases. No specific relationship could be found between an elevated SRT in noise or an abnormal central test result.