Comparison of maturational process of hearing threshold in early life between at-risk and low-risk preterm infants
Ze D Jiang1, Zheng M Xu2, Andrew R Wilkinson3
1Division of Neonatology, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Insights
Hearing thresholds in at-risk preterm infants are slightly elevated but mature similarly to low-risk infants. This study found no significant abnormalities in the hearing development of these vulnerable newborns.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Auditory Development
- Preterm Infant Care
- Hearing Threshold Assessment
Background:
- Early detection of hearing abnormalities is crucial for at-risk preterm infants.
- Understanding the maturational trajectory of hearing in early life is essential for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential abnormalities in hearing threshold maturation in at-risk preterm infants.
- To compare hearing development between at-risk and low-risk infants during early life.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal recording of brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) thresholds from 30 to 42 weeks postconceptional age.
- Study included 357 at-risk infants (born 23-36 weeks gestation) and 82 low-risk infants (born 30-42 weeks gestation).
Main Results:
- At-risk infants showed consistently slightly higher thresholds than low-risk infants between 31-42 weeks, but differences were not statistically significant.
- No significant differences in BAER threshold-age function slope were observed between at-risk and low-risk groups.
- Higher thresholds in very preterm infants (23-29 weeks gestation) compared to moderately preterm infants (30-36 weeks) did not reach statistical significance.
Conclusions:
- Hearing thresholds in at-risk preterm infants are marginally elevated during early life.
- The maturational process of hearing thresholds in at-risk preterm infants is generally similar to that of low-risk infants.
- No notable abnormalities were detected in the hearing threshold maturation of at-risk preterm infants.
Aim:
To detect any abnormality in the maturational process of hearing threshold during the early life in at-risk preterm infants.
Study Design:
The threshold of brainstem auditory evoked response was recorded and analyzed longitudinally from 30 to 42weeks of postconceptional age in 357 at-risk infants born at 23-36weeks of gestation. The results were compared with those in 82 low-risk infants born at 30-42weeks at various postconceptional ages.
Results:
From 31 to 42weeks, the response threshold in the at-risk infants was consistently slightly higher than that in the low-risk infants. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups of infants at any designated postconceptional ages. The threshold in the at-risk infants born at 23-29weeks of gestation tended to be higher than those born at 30-36weeks at various postconceptional ages, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. There was also no significant difference in the slope of BAER threshold-age function between the at-risk infants, irrespective of gestational ages, and the low-risk infants.
Conclusion:
During the early life, hearing threshold in at-risk preterm, mainly very preterm, infants is marginally elevated, but the maturational process of the threshold is generally similar to that in low-risk infants, without notable abnormality.
