Auditory Pathway Maturation in Full-term Small for Gestational Age Children: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pediatrics
• Auditory Neuroscience

Background:

• Intrauterine growth restriction can lead to full-term infants being born small for gestational age (SGA).
• Evidence suggests that intrauterine growth restriction may impact neural maturation processes.
• Understanding these impacts is crucial for early intervention and developmental support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neural maturation changes in full-term SGA children.
• To analyze brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) wave latencies and interpeak intervals in SGA versus appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) children.
• To determine if SGA status is associated with auditory pathway maturation differences.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing BAEP in full-term SGA newborns compared to AGA controls.
• Searches were conducted on MEDLINE/PubMed Central and LILACS/BVS databases until October 31, 2021.
• Included 10 studies (5 for meta-analysis) with 473 participants (193 SGA, 280 AGA).

Main Results:

• A meta-analysis of 5 studies revealed a statistically significant difference in the absolute latency of wave V between SGA and AGA groups (95% CI: 0.02-0.15; p < 0.01).
• No significant differences were found in interpeak intervals, suggesting a specific impact on peripheral auditory pathway conduction.
• The findings indicate a brainstem neural conduction dysfunction in SGA infants.

Conclusions:

• The small for gestational age (SGA) condition is associated with brainstem neural conduction dysfunction, as evidenced by BAEP.
• This dysfunction is likely related to altered maturation processes within the auditory pathway of SGA infants.
• BAEP serves as a valuable tool for assessing auditory pathway development in SGA populations.