Bilirubin encephalopathy causes potentially preventable brain damage and hearing loss. The site of auditory dysfunction is controversial, despite pathologic studies showing damage to brain stem auditory nuclei in humans and experimental animals. We studied the effects of bilirubin toxicity on the auditory system of homozygous jaundiced Gunn rats by use of brain stem auditory evoked potentials. Small but statistically significant abnormalities were found for wave latencies, interwave intervals, and amplitudes.
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