Small-for-gestation birth exerts a minor additional effect on functional impairment of the auditory brainstem in...

To address if small-for-gestational-age (SGA) significantly affects the developing auditory brainstem in late preterm babies with perinatal problems (i.e. high-risk), providing valuable information for management of such babies.

SGA and appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) babies born at 33-36weeks of gestation were studied at term using maximum length sequence brainstem auditory evoked response in response to 91-910/s clicks.

Compared with AGA late preterm babies without perinatal problems (i.e. low-risk), the high-risk SGA babies manifested a significant increase in wave V latency and I-V interval at all 91-910/s clicks, and III-V interval at 455 and 910/s. The amplitude was smaller for wave I at 227 and 910/s, wave III at 910/s and wave V at 227 and 910/s. Compared with low-risk SGA babies, the high-risk SGA babies showed similarly abnormalities. Compared with high-risk AGA babies, the high-risk SGA babies manifested slightly different abnormalities.

Brainstem auditory response was abnormal in high-risk SGA late preterm babies. The abnormalities, suggesting brainstem auditory impairment, were slightly different from high-risk AGA late preterm babies.

SGA birth exerts a minor additional effect on the impaired auditory brainstem in high-risk babies born at late preterm. For these babies, neuroprotective measures should mainly target at associated perinatal problems, although the relatively minor adverse SGA effect cannot be ignored.