Brainstem auditory evoked potentials provide a simple, noninvasive method of evaluating hearing function and have been widely used for early detection of hypoacusis in children. Between April 1992 and May 1994, a stydy was done of 400 Mexican children who presented at least one neonatal risk factor for hearing impairment. The average age of the children studied was 6.6 months and their average gestational age at birth was 35.1 weeks. Just over half of the children had been treated with amikacin. The study found 1427 risk factors (about 3.5 per child), the most common ones being exposure to ototoxic substances, hyperbilirubinemia, and birthweight 1500 g. In 27 por cent of the children, peripheral auditory changes were found, and 13 por cent did not respond to auditory stimuli. Low birthweight and young gestational age at birth, high serum concentration of bilirubin, sepsis, subependymal or intraventricular hemorrhage, mechanical ventilation, and exposure to ototoxic substances were significantly associated with the presence of severe or profound hypoacusis

Rev Panam Salud Publica;2(4),oct. 1997

Potenciais Evocados Auditivos; Transtornos da Audição; Fatores de Risco; Mexico

Garza Morales, Saúl,Poblano, Adrián,Robledo Galván, Alicia,Fernández Carrocera, Luis Alberto (1997) Auditory evoked potentials in children at neonatal risk for hypoacusis. Rev Panam Salud Publica;2(4) -,oct. 1997. Retrieved from http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1020-49891997001000002&lng=pt&nrm=iso