ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Otorinolaringologia 1998 December;48(4):161-4

Copyright © 2000 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Serious-deep hypoacusia according to neonatal risk factors. Personal experience in 250 babies at risk.

Molteni G., Colombo L., Tagliabue A.

Azienda Ospedaliera «S. Anna» - Como Divisione ORL (Primario: Prof. R. Spinelli)

Background. The importance of an early identification of hearing defects in babies, possibly within the first year of age is well established. The absence of an early diagnosis may in fact prevent the acquisition of the language and result in serious consequences in the psycho-intellectual development.
Methods. In this paper, the diagnostic protocol for the early diagnosis of hypoacusia in babies exposed to risk according to the classification of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing is reported, and the case material collected during the last four years (1994-1998) by the Neonatology Dept and the Otorhinolaryn-gology Dept (of the “S. Anna” Hospital in Como ) is presented. Among the 250 babies exposed to risk included in the present investigation, the frequency rate of hypoacusia of serious-deep grade was 3.6%.
Results and conclusions. The analysis of the collected data has also shown that, in relation to the different risk factors, seriousdeep hypoacusia was more frequent in the TORCHS group of diseases (25% of the babies affected by these pathologies have deep-serious hypoacusia). The frequency rate of hypoacusia relating to other pathologies was as follows: babies with chromosomal abnormalities 20%; babies with craniofacial abnormalities, 16.66%; babies with bilirubinemia values requiring exchange transfusion, 13.38%; newborns requiring assisted ventilation, 4,39%; premature babies of less than 32 weeks of gestation, 2.52%; newborns with a body weight lower than 1.500 g, 2,43%.