The auditory brain stem response to click stimuli was investigated in a group of 50 full-term healthy newborns, as well as in a group of 20 older children and adults. The stimulus parameters of click level and click repetition rate were varied systematically to quantify the characteristics of the auditory brain stem response in the full-term newborn infant. The results reveal increased latencies for waves I, III, and V for all conditions among the newborns, relative to the older age group. The results suggest that the neurological system is the primary source of differences between newborns and older subjects, but do not rule out the possibility that external ear, middle ear, or cochlear mechanisms may also contribute to the differences observed.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Auditory brain stem evoked response characteristics in developing infants.

The auditory brain stem response (ABR) of a single group of developing normal infants was examined longitudinally, from newborn through 6 months of age. A sufficiently broad range of stimulus variables was included to ensure that the auditory system was adequately sampled in order to demonstrate developmental principles. Findings indicate that there are no differences in wave V latency-intensity functions between infants and adults. For waves I, III, and V, absolute and interwave latency-repetition rate functions differ between infants and adults and undergo systematic changes throughout the first 6 months of life. The most dramatic ABR changes (between any two sequential test sessions in infants) occurred between the ages of newborn and 2 weeks, with less pronounced ABR changes beyond 2 weeks of age. The pattern of latency change for wave I was different from that for waves III and V. After 2 weeks of age, wave I latency was the same as the adult value at all repetition rates. In contrast, waves III and V were characterized by decreasing latency throughout the follow-up period. A curvilinear developmental model provided a satisfactory fit to ABR latency data.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The biomechanics and histopathology of chemically processed patellar tendon allografts for anterior cruciate ligament replacement.

A study was initiated to examine chemically processed patellar tendon allografts in sheep anterior cruciate ligament repairs, both mechanically and histologically. One group of animals received frozen, untreated allografts, one group received frozen grafts that were processed with a chloroform-methanol solvent extraction technique, and one group received frozen tendons treated with a permeation-enhanced extraction technique. All animals were operated on unilaterally, with the contralateral knee acting as a normal, intact control. Histologic analysis after 2 months of implantation revealed similar enhanced cellular repopulation in both chemically treated ligament allografts compared with the more hypocellular, untreated grafts. At 6 months the chloroform-methanol group demonstrated a more aggressive chronic cellular response with numerous thick-walled vessels relative to the untreated and permeation-enhanced grafts. Mechanical testing after 6 months of implantation showed statistically similar anterior drawer resistance in all grafted knees, yet the two chemically extracted grafts had significantly less stiffness than untreated anterior cruciate ligament grafts. Both treatment groups also tended to be weaker than the untreated allografts. All anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions showed excessive anterior drawer laxity and, regardless of treatment, had lower strength and less stiffness than normal anterior cruciate ligament tissue at the 6-month period.

Animals↗