resultados preliminares de um estudo de caso-controle

preliminary results of a case-control study

Abstract

Introduction: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the leading congenital infection associated with sensorineural hearing loss and is one of the infections encompassed by the TORCH acronym. It is therefore recommended that infants diagnosed with cCMV undergo audiological monitoring throughout the early years of life. The brainstem auditory pathway continues to mature during the first two years of life, and monitoring its responses serves as a neurophysiological marker. Objective: This study aimed to compare the neurophysiological integrity of the brainstem auditory pathway in infants with congenital cytomegalovirus to that of infants without the infection or other risk indicators for hearing loss. Methodology: This was a case-control study. The sample consisted of eight infants diagnosed with congenital cytomegalovirus, without other risk indicators for hearing loss, matched with eight control infants based on sex, age, and maternal education. Auditory Brainstem Response was recorded using click stimuli at an intensity of 80 dB nHL. Latency and amplitude values of waves I, III, and V were analyzed, as well as the interpeak intervals I–III, III–V, and I–V. The groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test, with a significance level set at 5%. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between groups in the absolute latencies and amplitudes of waves I, III, and V, nor in the interpeak intervals I–III, III–V, and I–V. Conclusion: These preliminary findings indicate no impairment in the brainstem auditory pathways of infants with congenital cytomegalovirus in the sample studied.