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Otoacoustic emission-based hearing screening of a Greek NICU population
N K Apostolopoulos1, I M Psarommatis, M D Tsakanikos
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Children's Hospital P. & A. Kyriakou, Goudi, Athens, Greece.
Insights
Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (cEOAEs) effectively screen neonatal hearing impairment. This study shows cEOAEs have high sensitivity and specificity, making them a reliable alternative for neonatal hearing screening programs.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neonatal Medicine
- Otoacoustic Emissions
Background:
- Early identification of hearing impairment in neonates is crucial for timely intervention.
- Neonatal hearing screening programs are essential for detecting hearing disabilities in newborns.
- Otoacoustic emissions are a widely adopted method for neonatal hearing impairment identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the sensitivity and specificity of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (cEOAEs) in a Greek Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) population.
- To compare cEOAE results with the final hearing status of high-risk neonates.
- To evaluate cEOAEs as a screening tool for neonatal hearing impairment.
Main Methods:
- A total of 438 ears from 223 high-risk neonates were tested using both brainstem response audiometry (ABR) and cEOAEs.
- The final hearing status of 107 neonates was determined through behavioral and playtone audiometry at over 2.5 years of age.
- Sensitivity and specificity of cEOAEs were calculated against ABR and final hearing status.
Main Results:
- cEOAEs demonstrated a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 92.4% when compared to ABR results.
- When compared to the children's final hearing status, cEOAEs showed a sensitivity of 90.9% and specificity of 91.1%.
- These findings indicate high accuracy of cEOAEs in identifying neonatal hearing impairment.
Conclusions:
- Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions are highly effective in detecting neonatal hearing impairment.
- cEOAEs offer a reliable alternative to conventional ABR for large-scale neonatal hearing screening programs.
- The high sensitivity and specificity support the use of cEOAEs in clinical practice for neonatal hearing assessment.
Abstract:
The pressing need for early identification of hearing-disabled children has led to the development of several neonatal hearing screening programmes world-wide. Today otoacoustic emissions represent a widely used methodology for identification of neonatal hearing impairment. The purpose of the present study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (cEOAEs) in a Greek NICU population and compare the cEOAE data to the final hearing status of these children. A total of 438 ears of 223 neonates at high risk for hearing impairment were tested with both brainstem response audiometry (ABR) and cEOAEs. In 107 neonates the final hearing status was determined by using behavioural and playtone audiometry, at an age greater than 2 1/2 years. The sensitivity and specificity of the cEOAEs were found to be 90 and 92.4% when compared to ABR results and 90.9 and 91.1% when compared to the children's hearing status, respectively. Click-EOAEs have been proved to be highly effective in determining whether or not hearing impairment really exists. Since conventional ABR does not meet the requirements for large scale screening programmes, the cEOAEs represent a reliable alternative.