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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
The Munich screening programme in neonates
1ENT Clinic, University of Munich, Germany.
Insights
Early detection of hearing loss in newborns is crucial for auditory development. Transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) offer a fast, reliable screening method for neonatal hearing loss.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neonatal care
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- Auditory pathway stimulation is essential for early infant development.
- Untreated hearing loss in neonates can lead to developmental disabilities.
- Improved treatment techniques necessitate early detection of hearing loss.
Observation:
- Transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) are a valuable tool for neonatal hearing screening.
- TEOAE measurements are rapid (minutes) and can be performed by trained personnel in hospital nurseries.
- The test yields consistent results across various patient states (awake, anesthetized, sedated, sleeping).
Findings:
- TEOAEs effectively identify peripheral hearing loss that could impact speech development.
- The presence of TEOAEs strongly suggests the absence of significant peripheral hearing loss.
- Successful TEOAE screening in neonates requires specialized equipment with time and amplitude rejection thresholds.
Implications:
- Early identification of hearing loss via TEOAEs enables timely intervention, promoting healthy auditory and speech development.
- The efficiency and reliability of TEOAEs support widespread implementation in neonatal screening programs.
- Robust, ergonomically designed probes are vital for accurate TEOAE measurements in neonates.
Abstract:
For development, it is necessary to stimulate the auditory pathway during the first weeks of life. This knowledge and improved techniques for the treatment of young children with hearing loss make early detection even more important, otherwise developmental disabilities inevitably occur. The method of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions is the most useful test for neonatal screening and has the following advantages: emissions are quickly measured (i.e. within a few minutes), the measurements can be performed in the hospital nursery by trained volunteer examiners, the test produces the same results in awake, anaesthetized, sedated, and sleeping patients, and the existence of TEOAEs excludes with very high probability a peripheral hearing loss which may influence the development of speech. A prerequisite of a successful evaluation with crying and moving neonates is an apparatus with two specific rejection thresholds; one for time, the second for amplitude. Additionally, the probe has to be robust, but also small both to minimize its weight and to fit comfortably within the diameter of the neonatal ear canal.
