Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
09:52
Trans-Tympanic Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Ototoxicity
Published on: March 16, 2018
Is auditory brainstem response a bilirubin neurotoxicity marker?
1Department of Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
American Journal of Otolaryngology
|August 6, 1998
Summary
High bilirubin levels in newborns correlate with prolonged brainstem conduction time. Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) effectively detect early signs of bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity in neonates.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Audiology
Background:
- Hyperbilirubinemia is common in newborns.
- Elevated bilirubin levels can cause neurotoxicity.
- Early detection of neurotoxicity is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a correlation between serum bilirubin levels and auditory brainstem responses (ABR).
- To evaluate ABR as a sensitive marker for detecting bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity in neonates.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 60 neonates.
- Comparison of ABR in hyperbilirubinemic and normal neonates.
- Serial ABR assessments over 6 months for neonates with abnormal findings.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was observed between elevated serum bilirubin levels and prolonged brainstem conduction time (P < .01).
- ABR demonstrated high sensitivity in identifying early neurotoxic effects.
- Neonates with abnormal ABR wave patterns had a poorer prognosis than those with delayed inter-peak latencies.
Conclusions:
- Increasing serum bilirubin levels are directly associated with prolonged brainstem conduction time.
- Auditory brainstem responses serve as a sensitive tool for early detection of neonatal neurotoxicity.
- ABR findings, particularly wave pattern distortions, predict long-term prognosis in affected neonates.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Hepatic Encephalopathy
DefinitionHepatic encephalopathy is a reversible neurologic syndrome that results from advanced liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunting. It leads to disturbances in cognition, behavior, and motor function due to the brain’s exposure to gut-derived toxins that the liver fails to detoxify.EtiologyThis condition develops either in the setting of acute fulminant hepatitis or progressively during chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Portosystemic shunting—including...
01:25Jaundice
Jaundice, or icterus, is the yellow discoloration of the skin, sclerae, and mucous membranes. It happens when plasma bilirubin levels rise above 2.5-3 mg/dL, leading to bilirubin deposition in tissue.Bilirubin is a byproduct of hemoglobin degradation. In macrophages, hemoglobin breaks down into globin and heme. Globin is converted into amino acids, while heme is turned into biliverdin by heme oxygenase, which is then reduced to unconjugated bilirubin by biliverdin reductase.Unconjugated...