Auditory evoked potentials in newborns
Δήμητρα Γεωργίου Λεκαδίτη · Aristotle University of Thessaloniki · 2019
Early brainstem auditory evoked potentials are a type of evoked potentials (EPs) which can provide functional information about the integrity of the auditory system and viability of the brainstem, contributing to the prediction of neurodevelopmental development later in life. In order to detect possible differences in the maturation of the auditory system between terms and preterms, we conducted a retrospective cohort study measuring the wave V latency (in msec) in 176 infants born at term or premature. We searched for possible risk factors, which may exert a negative impact on auditory system maturation, such as infant's gender, birth weight, percentile of head circumference, risk levels of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, presence of perinatal complications or neurological complications before or shortly after birth.The maturation of the auditory system is not associated with the infant's gender (mean difference 0.16ms, p>0.05) and the head circumstance at birth but with extremely low birth weight (LBW), very-LBW (mean difference 0.06ms, p0.05). Low gestational age, extremely-LBW, very-LBW as well as the respiratory and neurological complications before or after birth could be considered as possible risk factors for auditory maturation abnormalities. In contrast, the infant's gender, head circumstance at birth and APGAR score in 10th minute of life do not seem to affect the maturation of auditory system.