Inner hair cell loss and intracochlear clot in the preterm infant.

Little is known about the pathological changes in the cochlea of preterm infants which might be responsible for the hearing loss which the infants are at risk of developing. This study looks at the cochleas of 5 preterm infants who died at ages up to 2 weeks using light and electronmicroscopic techniques, and shows changes in the inner hair cell population in association with intracochlear clot which may be responsible for subsequent hearing loss.