title: Electrophysiological study of hearing in full-term small-for-gestational-age newborns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential (BAEP) results of full-term small-for-gestational-age newborns, comparing them to the results of full-term appropriate-for-gestational-age newborns, in order to verify whether the small-for-gestational-age condition is a risk indicator for retrocochlear hearing impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This multicentric prospective cross-sectional study assessed 86 full-term newborns - 47 small- (Study Group) and 39 appropriate-for-gestational-age (Control Group - of both genders, with ages between 2 and 12 days. Newborns with presence of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions and type A tympanometry were included in the study. Quantitative analysis was based on the mean and standard deviation of the absolute latencies of waves I, III and V and interpeak intervals I-III, III-V and I-V, for each group. For qualitative analysis, the BAEP results were classified as normal or altered by analyzing these data considering the age range of the newborn at the time of testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the Study Group, nine of the 18 (38%) subjects with altered BAEP results had the condition of small-for-gestational-age as the only risk factor for hearing impairments. In the Control Group, seven (18%) had altered results. Female subjects from the Study Group tended to present more central alterations. In the Control Group, the male group tended to have more alterations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Full-term children born small or appropriate for gestational age might present transitory or permanent central hearing impairments, regardless of the presence of risk indicators.
authors: Department of Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. rg.angrisani@usp.br
authors: Rosanna Mariangela Giaffredo
authors: RM
authors: Angrisani
authors: Marisa Frasson De
authors: MF
authors: Azevedo
authors: Renata Mota Mamede
authors: RM
authors: Carvallo
authors: Edna Maria de Albuquerque
authors: EM
authors: Diniz
authors: Carla Gentile
authors: CG
authors: Matas
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006313:Hearing Loss, Central / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011930:Reaction Time