All issues > Volume 32(10); 1989

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1989;32(10):1391-1396. Published online October 31, 1989.

Change of Auditory Brainstem Response(ABR) on Neonatal Asphyxia.

Jeong Sam Jeon¹, Chong Woo Bae¹, Sa Jun Chung¹, Chang Il Ahn¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea

Received: March 31, 1989;  Accepted: May 25, 1989.

Abstract

Neonatal asphyxia is insult to the newborn due to lack of oxygen or perfusion to various organs. It is associated with tissue hypoxia, especially brain. So hypoxic-ischemic brain injury is the most important complication known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. The EEG as well as various evoked potentials (auditory, visual and somatosensory) may assist in evaluating the severity of the damage. This study was undertaken to evaluate the degree of brainstem damage by examination of ABR in transient asphyxiated neonates who revealed below 5-minute Apgar score of 7. Study group (neonatal asphyxia group) was 35 cases and control group (non-asphyxia group) was 43 cases. ABR was examined within 24 hours of age, we compared the findings of peak latency, inter-peak latency and amplitude between two groups. If initial record was abnormal ABR, reexami- nation was done. The results were as follows: 1) there were no significant difference ABR findings including peak latency, inter-peak latency and amplitude between neonatal asphyxia group and normal control group. 2) Among 35 asphyxiated neonates, only three neonates (8.57%) showed abnormal ABR, but whose findings were return to within normal limits by re-examination of ABR after 24 hours of initial check. 3) Abnormal findings of ABR in neonatal asphyxia group were 2 cases of wave V loss and one case of I -V inter-peak latency prologation. 4) By 5 minute Apgar score, abnormal ABR were 2 cases in score 0~2 and 1 case in score 3—4. There was no relationship between number of abnormal ABR and 5 minute Apgar score. Therefore, these results suggested that there were abnormal changes of ABR in transient asphyxia neonates was not frequent and reversible.

Keywords :Neonatal Asphyxia, Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)