Neonatal auditory acuity following in utero vibratory acoustic stimulation

The fetal heart rate response to externally applied vibratory acoustic stimulation is currently being evaluated as a test of fetal well-being. We have examined the safety of this procedure by subsequent testing of the auditory nerve and brain stem evoked responses in the neonates. The results demonstrated no differences in auditory acuity when control infants were compared with infants previously exposed to antenatal vibratory acoustic stimulation.