Tests of auditory perception in the assessment and management of patients with cerebral cranial injury

Abstract

Special listening tests have been applied to patients with cerebral cranial injury to determine whether such tests of auditory performance will provide functional evidence of lesions which are difficult to examine physically. There have been many reports in the literature on the apparent relationship between lesions affecting portions of the central auditory nervous system and results on tests of auditory perception for speech which is either distorted in some way or presented in competing arrangements to the two ears. The premise is that these tests require integrative function of the brain while reducing the effects of conditions of the peripheral organ of hearing and of basic language functions such as symbolization and memorization. Much of the previous literature has been concerned with infiltrative lesions, such as tumors. Our rehabilitation facility serves a number of patients whose lesions are the result of injuries rather than growths or vascular accidents. The present study was undertaken, therefore, to explore the contribution of information derived from such test procedures to diagnosis and to the planning of individual programs of rehabilitation. Preliminary findings are presented for a series of patients with cerebral cranial injury.