Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2002 Sep;45(9):858-861.

Audiologic Follow-up Evaluation of Patients with Hyperbilirubinemic Sensorineural Hearing Loss

• Jeon SJ
• Oh YH
• Rhee CK

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In neonates with hyperbilirubinemic sensorineural hearing loss, the lesion site is supposed to be confined to the retrocochlea. The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes of hearing level and the progression of the lesion site involving cochlear area after a lapse of time in the patients with hyperbilirubinemic sensorineural hearing loss. MATERIALS AND METHOD: ABR, TEOAE and IA tests were performed on 11 neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia with exchange transfusion in the period of neonates. After more than 4 years, follow-up ABR, TEOAE, and IA tests were carried out in the same 11 children.
RESULTS
In the initial ABR test, 4 neonates showed abnormal or no response and the other 7 neonates demonstrated normal response. All 11 neonates passed TEOAE and showed A type in IA In the follow-up tests after more than 4 years, 7 children who had shown normal ABR, TEOAE and IA test results as neonates showed normal ABR, TEOAE, and IA. In 4 children who had abnormal ABR results, showed decreased ABR thresholds. In TEOAE, 3 children showed bilateral failures and 1 child showed unilateral failure.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggests that the sites of lesion in hearing loss caused by hyperbilirubinemia were at the retrocochlear location as neonates. But the lesions may affect the cochlear lesions after a lapse of time. And some residual hearing may be preserved.

Keyword

Hyperbilirubinemia; Sensorineural hearing loss

MeSH Terms

Child
Follow-Up Studies*
Hearing
Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural*
Humans
Hyperbilirubinemia
Infant, Newborn