Your child has been scheduled for an auditory brainstem response (ABR) evaluation to take place in Suite A-107 at Medical City Dallas Hospital.  

The following instructions are for an ABR WITHOUT SEDATION. If your child is scheduled for an ABR with sedation, please read the Sedated ABR Instructions. 

An ABR is an objective test that measures “brain waves” produced when the ear hears sounds. This test assesses the function of the auditory (hearing) pathway, from the ear to the brainstem. In order to perform this test, your child must sleep throughout the procedure. Electrodes will be placed on your child's forehead, on top of the head, and on the skin behind both ears. Earphones will be placed in your child's ears that will present different tones and clicks to the ear. There will not be any discomfort during the test. Upon completion of the test, the audiologist will discuss all the results. A report will be written to you (the parents) as well as the referring physician discussing the results and any recommendations.

In order to better help your child sleep during the test, please follow the instructions below: 

• Please do NOT feed your child until right before the appointment time. A full stomach will help your child sleep for the procedure.
   
• Please deprive your child of sleep before the test so that your child will be tired enough to sleep for the entirety of the procedure.

We realize that it is difficult to not allow your child to sleep or eat; however, it is very important for the success of the procedure and allows the audiologist to obtain the most reliable results.

Please call us at 972-566-7359 if you have any questions regarding the test itself or the test instructions.

Click here to download a Word document version of these instructions.