Objective: We investigated whether histological chorioamnionitis is associated with an adverse neonatal hearing outcome. Methods: Two cohorts of very preterm newborns (n = 548, gestational age ≤ 32.0 weeks) were linked to placental histology and automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) outcome. Results: In multivariable analyses, an abnormal AABR was not predicted by the presence of histological chorioamnionitis, either with or without fetal involvement (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.5 - 3.8, p = 0.54 and OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.4-3.0, p = 0.79, respectively). Significant predictors of abnormal AABR included, e.g. birth weight (per kg increase: OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.0-0.6, p = 0.006), umbilical cord artery pH (per 0.1 increase: OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-0.9, p = 0.005) and mechanical ventilation (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.2-11.6, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Histological chorioamnionitis was not associated with an adverse neonatal hearing outcome in two cohorts of very preterm newborns. Indicators of a complicated neonatal clinical course were the most important predictors of an abnormal hearing screening.

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doi.org/10.3109/14767058.2014.971747, hdl.handle.net/1765/87394
The Journal of Maternal - Fetal & Neonatal Medicine
Department of Pediatrics

Smit, A. L., Been, J., Zimmermann, L., Kornelisse, R., Andriessen, P., Vanterpool, S., … Kramer, B. W. (2015). Automated auditory brainstem response in preterm newborns with histological chorioamnionitis. The Journal of Maternal - Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 28(15), 1864–1869. doi:10.3109/14767058.2014.971747