Maturation of Peripheral and Brainstem Auditory Function in the First Year Following Perinatal Asphyxia

A Longitudinal Study

Maturation of peripheral hearing and auditory brainstem following perinatal asphyxia was investigated by longitudinal recording of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) during the first year of life in affected infants. The general maturational course of the BAEP following asphyxia was similar to that in a control group of infants with normal births, although there were some abnormalities in the BAEP. Response threshold elevation seen in a few asphyxiated infants improved significantly during the first 3 months. The interpeak intervals in the asphyxiated infants did not differ significantly from that of the control-group infants except in the first month, when the I–V and III–V intervals were significantly prolonged in the severe asphyxia group. In contrast, wave V amplitude and V/I ratio were always smaller when compared to that of the control-group infants. Amplitude reduction of wave V was more sustained than the prolonged I–V interval. Persistent hearing loss and brainstem auditory impairment were seen in 6.8% and 14.6% of the asphyxiated infants, respectively. These findings suggest that asphyxia does not interfere significantly with the maturation of the auditory system in most asphyxiated infants and that sustained peripheral hearing loss and brainstem impairment occur only in a small proportion of affected infants.

KEY WORDS: neural development, auditory maturation, hearing, auditory, evoked potential, asphyxia

Submitted on December 13, 1995
Accepted on July 23, 1997

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