The hearing function in the premature children following their treatment with the use of ototoxic antibiotics

Abstract

The objective of the present study was the evaluation of the state of the auditory function in the premature children during the first year of life who underwent the neonatal treatment with various ototoxic antibiotics. A total of 232 newborn infants were available for the examination by the methods designed for recording distortion product optoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and short-latency auditory evoked potentials (SAEPs). The 'Statgraphics Centurion XV' program was used for the statistical treatment of the data obtained in the study. The results of recording DPOAE and SAEPs in 232 prematurely born children of different gestational age were used to evaluate their auditory function under conditions of treatment with various ototoxic antibiotics during the early neonatal period. It was shown that such treatment is likely to have an impact on the hearing function of premature children throughout the entire first year of life. Such influence can manifest itself as the enhanced threshold of the appearance of SAEPs peak V and the selective distortion of evoked responses recorded with the help of the DPOAE technique at a frequency of 4.6 kHz. It is concluded that all prematurely born children should be under observation of an otorhinolaryngologist-surdologist throughout the entire first year of life and, if appropriate, undergo the rehabilitative treatment at the earliest possible time. Moreover, the children with this condition must remain under the thorough follow-up care during at least 3 years including the yearly audiological evaluation and the comparative analysis of the results of previous observations for the timely identification of possible disturbances in the hearing function.