[Neonatal hearing screening with TEOAE in Mashhad city]

ABSTRACT

Hearing loss diagnosis solely by using the classical methods in neonatal and infants seems to be difficult. Any delay in diagnosis results in reverse effects on speech, language and social cognitive developments. TEOAE and ABR tests are highly recommended to be performed at birth. The aims of this study were early diagnosis, intervention and prevention of linguistic delay that were performed in the three hospitals in mashhad city. This was a descriptive study and neonates in the first 24 hours were screened using the TEOAE test. The cases who failed the first time test were have been rescreened 3 weeks later. If the results in both sessions [screen and re-screen] failed in one or both ears the child would be referred for a complete diagnosis ABR test before 3 month of age. Confirming the presence of mono aural or biaural hearing loss using by the ABR test. Long term follow up and medical/rehabilitative interventions were been programmed and performed before the age of 6 month. From 10016 screened new born 9615 individuals [96%] passed the tests and 401 individual [4%] were referred to the next step. Of those who were referred, only 289 individuals showed up for the re-screening test. From these only 23[8%] newborns were referred to ABR test. In this population the presence of hearing loss was only confirmed in 13 individuals [56%]. Eight of them had profound hearing loss in cochlear, 2 of them had moderate hearing loss in Cochlea, and 3 newborn had sever conductive deficit. Because of the high prevalence of congenital hearing loss, the reverse effects on children development, the availability of accurate tests for diagnosis of hearing loss, and being cost effective, hearing screening of all the neonates are highly recommended at the birth