Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) in Canine Otitis Externa

The objective of this study was to assess the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) wave pattern in normal dogs as well as those with otitis externa (OE). The BAER test was performed on twenty five dogs with varying degrees of OE. Our study found that BAER of ears with severe OE had prolonged latencies of all waves and lower wave I to wave V amplitude ratio compared to the mildly affected or normal ears. However the inter - peak latencies were unaffected. Thus BAER can be a useful diagnostic tool to assess the hearing impairment due to conductive deafness in OE.