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[Vestibular tests in infants after treatment with aminoglycosides]

Olaf Zagólski1

  • 1Specjalistyczne Centrum Diagnostyczno-Zabiegowe Medicina.

Polski Merkuriusz Lekarski : Organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego
|February 28, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Aminoglycoside treatment in infants frequently impairs vestibular organ function, affecting both hearing and balance. Caloric stimulation and vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) revealed significant damage in treated infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Otolaryngology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology

Context:

  • Aminoglycoside antibiotics are crucial for treating serious infections in infants.
  • These drugs pose a significant risk of ototoxicity, potentially damaging the inner ear.
  • Early detection of hearing and balance dysfunction is vital for infant development.

Purpose:

  • To assess vestibular organ function in infants treated with aminoglycosides.
  • To evaluate the impact of aminoglycoside therapy on balance and hearing pathways.
  • To correlate findings from different vestibular function tests.

Summary:

  • Vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) and caloric stimulation were used to test 70 infants (3 months old).
  • 12 infants showed no caloric response, 6 had no VEMPs, and 4 were diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss.
  • No significant differences in VEMP measures were found between groups, but VEMP and caloric test results correlated.

Impact:

  • The study highlights frequent vestibular impairment in infants exposed to aminoglycosides.
  • Findings underscore the importance of comprehensive audiological and vestibular assessments post-treatment.
  • Results suggest simultaneous damage to otolith and ampullary systems due to aminoglycoside toxicity.
Abstract

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