CARACTERIZATION OF AUDITORY BRAINSTEM RESPONSES IN NEWBORNS AND INFANTS AGED 0 TO 12 MONTHS
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Introduction: Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) are an essential objective tool for assessing hearing and central auditory pathway maturation during the first year of life. Objective: To characterize normative ABR values in newborns and infants aged 0 to 12 months (corrected age) and to analyse the influence of age, sex, and gestational age. Design: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. Materials and methods: ABR recordings were obtained using the Eclipse Interacoustics system in newborns and infants. Absolute latencies of waves I, III, and V, as well as interpeak latencies I-III, III-V, and I-V, were analysed according to corrected age, sex, and gestational age. Results: Most infants showed normal electrophysiological thresholds, with a low prevalence of hearing impairment. A progressive reduction in absolute latencies and interpeak intervals was observed with increasing age, reflecting central auditory pathway maturation, particularly at brainstem levels. Longer latencies were found in male infants and in preterm infants, with significant differences mainly in wave V and the I-V interval. Conclusions: The normative values obtained provide a valuable clinical reference for ABR interpretation in infants. Age, sex, and gestational age significantly influence auditory maturation, underscoring the importance of early hearing screening and audiological follow-up.
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