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Newborn hearing screening project using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions: Western Sicily experience
F Martines1, M Porrello, M Ferrara
1Università degli Studi di Palermo, Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Legale, Sezione di Audiologia, Italy. francescomartines@hotmail.com
Insights
Early screening for congenital sensorineural hearing loss in newborns using otoacoustic emissions is effective. This approach enables timely intervention, improving language development outcomes for infants with hearing impairment.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Congenital sensorineural hearing loss affects newborns, necessitating early detection for optimal development.
- Early intervention by 2 months of age is crucial for language development in hearing-impaired infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of congenital sensorineural hearing loss in newborns.
- To implement a cost-effective screening test with high sensitivity for early identification.
- To facilitate early intervention and improve language development outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Transient evoked otoacoustic emission screening was used in Sciacca hospital from 2003 onwards.
- Newborns were assessed using PASS or RETEST criteria, considering prenatal and perinatal risk factors.
- A multi-step screening protocol with secondary programs for different risk groups was employed.
Main Results:
- Screening coverage was 90% in 2003 and 2004, involving 1191 newborns.
- Two cases of congenital sensorineural hearing loss were identified, with an incidence of 2.07/1000 in 2003 and 1.70/1000 in 2004.
- The screening protocol achieved 99% sensitivity with a low false-positive rate (0.74%).
Conclusions:
- High incidence of hearing loss in Sicily is linked to consanguineous marriages.
- Early intervention programs initiated before 5 months led to good speech development and intelligibility.
- The implemented screening protocol is effective for early identification and management of congenital sensorineural hearing loss.
Objective:
To study the incidence of congenital sensorineural hearing loss in all newborns introducing a screen test with a protocol no expensive, with a good "screen sensitivity" that could let an earlier identification of hearing impairment beginning early intervention by 2 months of age and increasing the probability of having language development within the normal range of development.
Methods:
The study was conducted in Sciacca hospital from the beginning of 2003 to our days and was carried out with transient evoked otoacoustic emission using the criteria for PASS or RETEST and considering eventual prenatal and perinatal risk factors. All the newborns were divided into four groups each one with its personal secondary step program.
Results:
In the years 2003-2004 the number of the newborns in Sciacca hospital was: 538 for 2003, 653 for 2004 with a total of 1191; all these infants were divided in three groups: resident in Sciacca, resident in the Sciacca borderlands and resident out of the district of Sciacca. The coverage (percentage of the target population who undergo the screen) was of 90% in the 2003 (483 newborns) and of 90% in the 2004 (585 newborns) with two cases of congenital sensorineural hearing loss identified. The incidence of sensorineural hearing loss, in the District of Sciacca, was estimated to be 2.07/1000 in 2003 and 1.70/1000 in 2004.
Conclusions:
The higher incidence of sensorineural hearing loss in our study is due to a high prevalence of consanguineous marriage in Sicily that was shown to be linked with hearing impairment. The "sensitivity value" was 95% at the first step but became 99% after the second step with a few number of false positive (0.74%). All the infants with a diagnosis of sensorineural hearing loss began a rehabilitation program before the age of 5 months and they have a good speech development and speech intelligibility.
