Hearing Screening Protocols Of Babies With Hearing Loss Risk Factors In Turkey

Abstract

Objectives: Undetected congenital hearing loss negatively affects the development of child's speech, language, social and cognitive skills. Children who are identified early as having hearing loss and receive intensive early intervention perform better. In our study the objective was to compare hearing screening protocols for infants who has risk factors for hearing loss. Materials and Methods: In this study, infants who have risk factors for hearing loss, hospitalized in Hacettepe University Newborn Intensive Care Unit, included regarding the criteria issued by Joint Committee on Infant Hearing Position Statement 2007. Control group was comprised infants born in Hacettepe University and not having those risk factors for hearing loss. A hundred infants in each group, totally 200 (400 ears) were screened by three different protocols. First protocol used Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emission, second protocol used Automated Auditory Brainstem Response and the third protocol used two tools in combination. Tympanometric assessment was done by multi frequency tympanometry in each protocol. Results: Following the statistical comparison of protocols, it has been found that the 1st and 2nd protocols and also the 1st and 3rd protocols cannot be used in place of the other while the 2nd and 3rd protocols can be used in place of one another (p<0,05). Conclusion: It is more effective to use the 3rd protocol which consists of Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions, Automated Auditory Brainstem Response in combination and tympanometric measurements.