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Otoacoustic emissions in full-term newborns at risk for hearing loss
D Lafreniere1, J Smurzynski, M Jung
1Department of Surgery, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington 06030.
Insights
Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOEs) and click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOEs) can help identify hearing loss in newborns at risk. These tests, combined with auditory brainstem responses (ABR), aid in pinpointing cochlear or central hearing issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Neonatal hearing screening
- Otoacoustic emissions
Background:
- Limited data exists on otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) for newborns at risk for hearing loss.
- Previous research focused on OAE characteristics in normal newborns.
- This study addresses the need for OAE evaluation in high-risk infant populations.
Observation:
- Six full-term infants under 1 year old, at risk for hearing loss, were evaluated.
- Risk factors included hereditary hearing loss, meningitis, hyperbilirubinemia, and ototoxic drug exposure.
- Audiometric evaluations included auditory brainstem responses (ABR), behavioral observation audiometry, and tympanometry.
Findings:
- Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOEs) and click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOEs) were decreased or absent in infants with suspected cochlear pathology.
- OAEs were normal in an infant with suspected central hearing loss.
- Combined OAE and ABR testing provided frequency-specific cochlear function assessment.
Implications:
- Otoacoustic emissions, particularly DPOEs and CEOEs, are valuable tools for assessing hearing in at-risk newborns.
- Integrating OAEs with ABR enhances the ability to differentiate cochlear from central hearing loss.
- This approach aids in determining the anatomic site of auditory lesions in infants.
Abstract:
Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOEs) and click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOEs) characteristics of the normal newborn population have been previously reported in the literature. There is little information about DPOE evaluations in the newborn population at risk for hearing loss. The authors now report the DPOE and/or CEOE data from six full-term subjects at risk for hearing loss or with highly suspected hearing loss. These subjects were less than 1 year of age and at risk for hearing loss secondary to a history of hereditary hearing loss, meningitis, hyperbilirubinemia, and ototoxic drug exposure. Audiometric evaluation included auditory brainstem responses (ABR), behavioral observation audiometry, and tympanometry. The CEOEs and DPOEs were found to be decreased or absent in the subjects with suspected hearing loss secondary to cochlear pathology; they were found to be normal in a subject with a suspected central hearing loss. This study's data suggest that otoacoustic emissions when combined with ABR can provide a frequency-specific evaluation of cochlear function and help determine the anatomic site of a pathologic lesion.