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Otoacoustic emissions in universal hearing screening: which day after birth should we examine the newborns?
Stavros Korres1, Thomas Nikolopoulos, Eleftherios Ferekidis
1ENT Department of Athens National University, Ippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece. skorres@med.uoa.gr
Insights
Transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) testing is effective from birth. For newborn hearing screening, the third or fourth day after birth shows fewer
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neonatal Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) are crucial for universal newborn hearing screening.
- Optimal timing for TEOAE screening post-birth remains debated, with consensus on avoiding the earliest hours.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare 'pass-refer' results of TEOAEs across four post-birth days.
- To identify the most appropriate day for newborn hearing assessment.
Main Methods:
- Newborns were divided into four groups, tested on each of the first four post-birth days.
- Pass-refer outcomes from TEOAE screening were analyzed.
Main Results:
- TEOAEs were recordable in high rates from 24 hours post-birth.
- 'Refer' scores were significantly lower on the third and fourth days of life.
Conclusions:
- The third or fourth post-birth day appears optimal for newborn hearing screening using TEOAEs.
- This timing may reduce false-positive results, contingent on hospital discharge schedules.
Abstract:
Transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) have been widely used in universal newborn hearing screening programs. Although there is consensus with regard to the avoidance of early screening, especially during the first hours after birth, the optimum testing day is not yet unanimously accepted. The aim of the present study was to compare the 'pass-refer' results between 4 groups of newborns tested during the 4 postbirth days and determine the most appropriate day for assessing newborn hearing. Our results suggest that, although TEOAEs can be recorded in very high rates from the first 24 h of life, 'refer' scores are lower on the third and fourth days after birth. It may be thus concluded that the optimum time of assessing newborn hearing in universal hearing screening programs seems to be the third or fourth postbirth day, provided that other social or financial reasons do not suggest an earlier discharge from the hospital.
