Auditory brain- stem responses in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and effect of therapy

ABSTRACT

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is the most common condition that requires medical attention in newborns. The phenomenon of deposited indirect bilirubin in basal ganglia as well as in the vestibule-cochlear nucleus causes a neurological syndrome called kernicterus as well as sensorineural hearing loss. Currently, the most sensitive means of assessing neurotoxicity may be auditory brain stem evoked response [ABR], which shows the predictable early effects of bilirubin toxicity