Elena Mazzaro

Dr. Elena Mazzaro


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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17 March 2026 in Children
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
DBDavide Brotto
Davide Brotto
GIGiuseppe Impalà
Giuseppe Impalà
ELElisa Lovato
Elisa Lovato
EMElena Mazzaro
Elena Mazzaro
MMMaculan Marco
Maculan Marco
PTPatrizia Trevisi
Patrizia Trevisi
Background: Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) are widely used for objective hearing threshold estimation in both adults and children. Click and CE-Chirp stimuli differ substantially in cochlear activation and neural synchrony, yet their relative performance in patients with ski-sloping hearing loss remains insufficiently characterized, particularly with regard to pediatric diagnostic implications. Methods: This study compared ABRs elicited by click and CE-Chirp stimuli in adults with ski-sloping sensorineural hearing loss. The same comparison was also performed in a pediatric cohort including hearing-impaired and normal-hearing children. Adult subjects were further stratified according to audiometric configuration (DROP 1 kHz vs. DROP 2 kHz). ABR thresholds, wave V latency, amplitude, and detectability were analyzed across stimulus types and intensity levels. Associations between ABR thresholds and behavioral audiometric measures were also examined. Results: In adults with ski-sloping hearing loss, CE-Chirp stimulation yielded significantly lower ABR threshold estimates than click stimulation, particularly in the DROP 2 kHz subgroup, and showed stronger correlations with behavioral pure-tone averages across low-, mid-, and high-frequency ranges. Wave V latencies were consistently shorter with CE-Chirp stimulation, while wave V amplitudes did not differ significantly between stimuli at suprathreshold levels. In children, ABR thresholds obtained with CE-Chirp were generally equal to or lower than those obtained with clicks, although statistical significance was limited by sample size. CE-Chirp stimulation was associated with shorter wave V latencies in both hearing-impaired and normal-hearing children and produced larger wave V amplitudes at selected suprathreshold intensities in hearing-impaired children. Conclusions: Click and CE-Chirp stimuli provide complementary information in ABR assessment. While click stimulation remains essential for robust waveform identification, CE-Chirp stimulation appears to offer advantages in threshold estimation and neural synchrony, particularly in ski-sloping hearing loss and pediatric evaluations. Discrepancies between click- and CE-Chirp-derived ABR thresholds should not be attributed solely to maturational or synchrony-related factors but may warrant further frequency-specific audiological assessment to optimize diagnosis and rehabilitation strategies.