Evaluation of the effects of phototherapy on cochlear function in newborns

• Published in: International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology Vol. 78; no. 12; pp. 2068 - 2071
• Main Authors: Polat, Cahit, Aydın, Mustafa, Sakallıoğlu, Öner, Akyiğit, Abdulvahap, Ünsal, Selim, Soylu, Erkan, Keleş, Erol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.12.2014
• Subjects: Audiometry, Evoked Response; Cochlea; Cochlea - physiopathology; Cochlea - radiation effects; Female; Hearing; Humans; Hyperbilirubinemia; Infant, Newborn; Jaundice, Neonatal - radiotherapy; Male; Newborn; Otoacoustic emissions; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous - physiology; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous - radiation effects; Otolaryngology; Pediatrics; Phototherapy; Ultraviolet Therapy - adverse effects; Cochlea; Hearing; Hyperbilirubinemia; Newborn; Otoacoustic emissions; Phototherapy
• ISSN: 0165-5876; 1872-8464
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2014.09.006

Abstract Objective This study aimed to evaluate any potential effects of phototherapy on cochlear function in newborns using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). Methods and materials Fifty-seven newborns, undergoing phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia without any other risk factors, and a control group of 53 healthy newborns, were administered the TEOAE test prior to and following phototherapy. In the newborns undergoing phototherapy, otoacoustic emission (OAE) measurements obtained at baseline and following phototherapy were compared. Moreover, pre-phototherapy OAE measurements obtained in the newborns undergoing phototherapy were compared with the OAE measurements of the control group. Results In newborns undergoing phototherapy, there was no significant difference between pre- and post-phototherapy TEOAE amplitudes, nor in the reproducibility ratios. Similarly, no difference was found in the pre-treatment measurements of amplitude and reproducibility ratios between phototherapy-receiving newborns and controls ( p > 0.05). Conclusion The normal TEOAE results observed in the newborns undergoing phototherapy suggest that phototherapy does not exert negative effects on the cochlea.