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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
[Auditory provoked potentials in children with neonatal risk for hypoacusia]
S Garza Morales1, A Poblano, A Robledo Galván
1Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Departamento de Neurología Perinatal, Secretaría de Salud, México DF, México.
Insights
Auditory evoked potentials of the brain stem (AEPBS) help detect hearing loss in infants. Neonatal risk factors like low birthweight and ototoxic exposure are linked to severe hearing impairment in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Neonatology
Context:
- Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) often care for high-risk infants.
- Early detection of hearing impairment is crucial for developmental outcomes.
- Auditory evoked potentials of the brain stem (AEPBS) offer a non-invasive assessment method.
Purpose:
- To evaluate hearing function in high-risk neonates using AEPBS.
- To identify risk factors associated with hearing impairment in a Mexican pediatric cohort.
- To establish the prevalence of auditory changes in infants with neonatal risk factors.
Summary:
- A study of 400 Mexican children (average age 6.6 months) with neonatal risk factors for hearing impairment was conducted.
- Common risk factors included ototoxic substance exposure, hyperbilirubinemia, and low birthweight (<1500g).
- Peripheral auditory changes were found in 27% of children, with 13% showing no response to auditory stimuli. Severe or profound hypoacusis was linked to low birthweight, prematurity, hyperbilirubinemia, sepsis, brain bleeds, mechanical ventilation, and ototoxic exposure.
Impact:
- Identifies critical neonatal risk factors for severe hearing loss.
- Highlights the importance of AEPBS screening in high-risk infant populations.
- Informs targeted interventions and follow-up for hearing-impaired children, improving developmental trajectories.
Abstract:
Auditory evoked potentials of the brain stem (AEPBS) provide a simple noninvasive method of evaluating hearing function and have been widely used for early detection of hypoacusis in children. Between April 1992 and May 1994, a study was done of 400 Mexican children who presented at least one neonatal risk factor for hearing impairment. The average age of the children studied was 6.6 months and their average gestational age at birth was 35.1 weeks. Just over half of them (51%) had been treated with amikacin. The study found 1427 risk factors (3.5 per child), the most common ones being exposure to ototoxic substances, hyperbilirubinemia, and birthweight of less that 1500 g. In 27% of the children, peripheral auditory changes were found, and 13% did not respond to auditory stimuli. Low birthweight and young gestational age at birth, high serum concentration of bilirubin, sepsis, subependymal or intraventricular hemorrhage, mechanical ventilation, and exposure to ototoxic substances were significantly associated with the presence of severe or profound hypoacusis.
