ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Otorinolaringologia 2006 June;56(2):93-6

Copyright © 2006 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Early detection of newborn hearing impairment by transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions and auditory evoked potentials. Personal experience in 10,454 children

Molteni G.

Dipartimento di Otorinolaringologia Ospedale S. Anna, Como

Aim. Early detection of neonatal hearing impairment within the first months of life is crucial. Missed diagnosis of severe or deep hypacusis can lead to a lack of perception of verbal stimuli needed to stimulate the start of language development at 6—8 months of life.
Methods. Since June 1999, a universal hearing screening protocol for the early diagnosis of neonatal hypacusis supported by an Otodynamics ILO OAE V5 and Amplaid MK15 system has been operated at the ENT Department of S. Anna Hospital, Como.
Results and conclusion. Analysis of the results showed that the method was accurate in the early detection of neonatal hypacusis. Of the 10,454 children enrolled, 10,390 were screened, 21 (0.20%) of which were found to have severe-to-deep hypacusis (true positives) and 74 were false positives. Infant hearing screening with TEOAE followed by auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing according to the 3-step protocol showed 100% sensitivity, 99.03% specificity, a positive predictive value of 22.1%, a negative predictive value of 100%, with a Youden index of 0.993.