Audiologic Outcomes and Management of Infants with Hyperbilirubinemia

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the time course of audiologic manifestations of infants with hyperbilirubinemia and examine the management strategies for these infants. Seven infants (6 male, 1 female) with hyperbilirubinemia or neonatal jaundice received audiologic assessments including auditory brainstem response (ABR) and transient evoked oto-acoustic emissions from birth. Their gestational age ranged from 26 to 40 weeks and chronologic age between 11 and 44 months (mean = 25; SD = 12.1) at the time of data collection. Initial ABR results for all participants showed poor waveform morphology, absent waves, delayed wave latencies, and raised thresholds. The ABR results improved over time for five participants. At least five of the seven children exhibited symptoms of auditory neuropathy. Of the seven children, two received binaural behindthe- ear hearing aids, two were found to have normal hearing sensitivity, one child was referred to Australian Hearing for management of hearing problems, one child could not be contacted, and one child required further monitoring of hearing. The results showed variable audiologic outcomes in children with hyperbilirubinemia. The difficulty of assessing and managing infants with hyperbilirubinemia was highlighted. A team approach was suggested to manage these infants to ensure that they could get a prompt and accurate diagnosis with appropriate and timely medical and habilitative intervention.