Are click-evoked BAEPs useful in case of neonate hyperbilirubinemia?
There is still controversy about the usefulness of click-evoked brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) for the investigation of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. The present work concerns the study of click-evoked BAEP responses in a population of 72 hyperbilirubinemic children (conceptional age between 33 and 42 weeks). Their bilirubinemia rates were between 219 and 600 mumol/l. The waves I, III and V were always present, and click BAEP thresholds were normal in all subjects. Latency anomalies were found only for 8 of the 72 subjects. The comparison of subjects having the higher (greater than 307 mumol/l) bilirubin levels with the group having the lower ones failed to show any significant differences for the I-III and I-V intervals. The influence of prematurity in BAEP alteration has not been demonstrated in this study. These data show, on the one hand, normal click-BAEP thresholds but, on the other hand, alterations of central conduction time in some hyperbilirubinemic newborns. It seems that other factors than hyperbilirubinemia might be operating.
Soares
I
I
Pavillon U, Laboratoire d'Explorations Fonctionnelles Neurosensorielles, Lyon, France.
Collet
L
L
Delorme
C
C
Salle
B
B
Morgon
A
A
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time
D001663:Bilirubin