title: Impaired neural conduction in the auditory brainstem of high-risk very preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that neural conduction in the auditory brainstem is impaired in high-risk very preterm infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-two very preterm infants (gestation 28-32 weeks) with various perinatal problems or complications were studied at term using maximum length sequence (MLS) brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) with click rates 91-910/s. The data were compared with those in 31 age-matched low-risk very preterm infants and 44 normal gestation (term) infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High-risk very preterm infants showed a general increase in MLS BAER wave latencies and interpeak intervals. Wave V latency, and III-V and I-V intervals in high-risk very preterm infants were significantly longer than in normal term infants at all click rates, particularly higher rates. I-III interval was significantly longer, and III-V/I-III interval ratio was significantly greater at higher rates. These latency and intervals in high-risk very preterm infants were also longer, though relatively less significantly, than in low-risk very preterm infants. Click rate-related changes in major MLS BAER variables in high-risk infants were more significant than in the two groups of controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were major abnormalities in MLS BAER variables that mainly reflect central neural conduction in high-risk very preterm infants. The abnormalities were relatively less significant when compared with low-risk very preterm infants than with normal term infants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neural conduction in the auditory brainstem, mainly the more central regions, is impaired in high-risk very preterm infants. The impairment is largely attributed to the associated perinatal problems, and partially related to very preterm birth.
authors: Division of Neonatology, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: zedong.jiang@paediatrics.ox.ac.uk.
authors: Ze D
authors: ZD
authors: Jiang
authors: Division of Neonatology, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors: Chao
authors: C
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time
keywords: Auditory evoked potentials; Brainstem auditory impairment; Perinatal brain damage; Very preterm infants