A four-year follow-up of hearing and development in children exposed in utero to vibro-acoustic stimulation.
OBJECTIVE
To obtain information of hearing and neuro-development in children exposed to vibro-acoustic stimulation in utero.


METHODS
Information collected from Swedish child care programmes.


METHODS
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd University Hospital, Sweden.


METHODS
Children of 460 mothers exposed to vibro-acoustic stimulation for the assessment of fetal well-being during high- and low-risk pregnancies during 1985-1987.


METHODS
Auditory test (20-25 dB at eight frequencies between 500 and 8000 Hz) and general neurological examination at four years of age.


RESULTS
No hearing damage or neuro-developmental abnormalities that could be connected to the vibro-acoustic stimulation were found.


CONCLUSIONS
Vibro-acoustic stimulation, as applied in clinical practice, did not endanger either neurological development or hearing in children exposed in utero.
Nyman
M
M
Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital, Sweden.
Barr
M
M
Westgren
M
M
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006309:Hearing; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D014732:Vibration