[Self hearing recovery in infants with hearing loss after universal newborn hearing screening system]

To analyze the reasons of hearing recovery of newborns and infants which were diagnosed hearing loss within 3 months old by universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) system.

Newborns and infants born from Nov. 2001 to Jun. 2005 in Shanghai who failed UNHS were studied. Audiometric evaluations were performed in Shanghai Children's Hearing and Speech Center. Those with hearing loss were diagnosed within 3 months old and were followed-up at least 6 months. Analysis was carried out targeting for hearing recovery cases.

Six hundred and eighty-one cases failed the UNHS and were confirmed hearing loss within 3 months old. During the 6-24 months period of followed-up, 94 (13.8%) of 681 infants caught normal hearing. Among these 94 infants(115 ears), otitis media with effusion was found in 56 cases (59.6%), no reasonable cause was found in the other 38 cases (40.4%). Among the 115 ears which recovered to normal, there were 105 ears (91.3%) with primary diagnosis of mild hearing loss, 8 ears (7.0%) with moderate hearing loss and 2 ears (1.7%) with moderate-severe hearing loss. No recovery was found in the cases with primary diagnosis of severe and profound hearing loss.

Newborns and infants with hearing loss diagnosed within 3 months old have possibility to recover as they are growing. The critical reasons might be self-recovery from otitis media with effusion and outcomes of central auditory system development.