Clinical Experience of Auditory Brainstem Response Testing on Pediatric Patients in the Operating Room

Objectives. To review our experience of conducting auditory brainstem response (ABR) test on children in the operating room and discuss the benefits versus limitations of this practice. Methods. Retrospective review study conducted in a pediatric tertiary care facility. A total of 267 patients identified with usable data, including ABR results, medical and surgical notes, and follow-up evaluation. Results. Hearing status successfully determined in all patients based on the ABR results form the operating room. The degrees and the types of hearing loss also documented in most of the cases. In addition, multiple factors that may affect the outcomes of ABR in the operating room identified. Conclusions. Hearing loss in children with complicated medical issues can be accurately evaluated via ABR testing in the operating room. Efforts should be made to eliminate adverse factors to ABR recording, and caution should be taken when interpreting ABR results from the operating room

Functional dissection of synaptic circuits: in vivo patch-clamp recording in neuroscience

Neuronal activity is dominated by synaptic inputs from excitatory or inhibitory neural circuits. With the development of in vivo patch-clamp recording, especially in vivo voltage-clamp recording, researchers can not only directly measure neuronal activity, such as spiking responses or membrane potential dynamics, but also quantify synaptic inputs from excitatory and inhibitory circuits in living animals. This approach enables researchers to directly unravel different synaptic components and to understand their underlying roles in particular brain functions. Combining in vivo patch-clamp recording with other techniques, such as two-photon imaging or optogenetics, can provide even clearer functional dissection of the synaptic contributions of different neurons or nuclei. Here, we summarized current applications and recent research progress using the in vivo patch-clamp recording method and focused on its role in the functional dissection of different synaptic inputs. The key factors of a successful in vivo patch-clamp experiment and possible solutions based on references and our experiences were also discussed

Clinical Uses of Cervical Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential Testing in Pediatric Patients

Abstract To demonstrate the feasibility and clinical significance of cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) test in pediatric patients. Retrospective review study was conducted in a pediatric tertiary care facility. A total of 278 patients were identified with adequate data, including medical notes, results of cVEMP, and imaging studies. Among the total of 278 pediatric patients, only 3 children were not able to finish the cVEMP test successfully. In about 90% of the cases, the cVEMP test was requested to investigate a patient’s hearing loss and/or vestibular complaints. Over 90% of the cVEMP tests were ordered by specialists such as pediatric otolaryngologists or otologists. Obtained cVEMP results provided useful information in clinical diagnosis and management in all cases. It is feasible to conduct cVEMP testing in children, including infants, and cVEMP testing can provide valuable information in the diagnosis and management of hearing loss and vestibular impairment. This simple and noninvasive test should be embraced by pediatric professionals