2021 Volume 57 Issue 1 Pages 26-30
Extremely low birth weight infants（ELBWI）are reported to be at high risk of hearing impairment and have a high abnormal rate in Auditory Brainstem Response（ABR）test. However, ABR abnormalities are often transient, and in many cases hearing impairment is denied by subsequent follow-up. We examined the developmental outcome of ELBWI who had abnormalities in ABR test before discharge from NICU but did not have hearing impairment. Twenty-two ELBWI were included, with median gestational age of 24.7 weeks and median birth weight of 618 grams. Cerebral palsy was found in 3cases and Autism Spectrum Disorder in 5 of 22 cases.
Developmental Quotient（DQ）of 1 year 6 months old and 3years old and Intelligence Quotient（IQ）of 6 years old were significantly lower than those without ABR abnormalities.
ELBWI with ABR abnormalities but no hearing impairment are at high risk of developmental delay, so intervention such as developmental support should be considered from early stage.
