Instructions for the ABR Test
Auditory Brainstem Response Test
The ABR test is a non-invasive test to make sure that the auditory nerve (the nerve for hearing) is spontaneously sending impulses to the brain as a person detects sound. This test has several names including brainstem evoked response (BSER), brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER).
To PREPARE FOR THE TEST, please remove any make-up from the forehead and/or earrings from your earlobes prior to the test. It is also helpful if you avoid caffeinated beverages the day of the test.
When you arrive for the test, the audiologist will scrub the skin on your forehead and behind each ear lobe to remove oils, dead skin cells, etc. from your skin. Electrodes are placed on these sites and ear phones are placed in each ear canal. You will be asked to lie down and keep your eyes closed for the entire test.
You will hear a rapid clicking sound and a static noise in each ear throughout the majority of the test. You do not need to respond to any sounds during the test and you will be encouraged to relax and remain still.
This test should take approximately one hour. If you are unable to keep this appointment, please notify our office as soon as possible. The practice reserves the right to charge patients for the visit if this specialized test is cancelled within 48 hours of your appointment or if a patient does not show for an appointment.
The ABR is performed in our Albany office at 6 Executive Park Drive, Entrance C in Executive Park; the office complex behind Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany. Our phone number is 518-482-9111.