Comparison of neonatal hearing screening devices

Incidence studies estimate that 1-3 per 1000 full term normal neonates and 2-4% of high-risk newborns per 100 have severe bilateral hearing loss. In response, universal hearing screening has been proposed; however, choosing the most appropriate technology continues to be an obstacle. The purpose of the current preliminary study was to compare test results from thirty-two full-term newborns using three types of screening devices, Natus Algo 2 AABR, Otodynamics EchoCheck TEE, and Biologic AuDx DPE. Results indicate that the Natus had the highest pass percentage rate for the right and left ears at 97% and 91% respectively, while the other two devices had pass percentage rates between 31% and 56%. Test duration time for the Natus was 22.5 minutes compared with 5.8-6.4 minutes for the other devices. Despite the longer duration time, our findings favor using the Natus, given its accurate representation of incidence data.