2002 Volume 45 Issue 1 Pages 67-74
The objective of this study was to evaluate outcome of a hearing screen program for well, full term babies in Japanese Red Cross Society Wakayama Medical Center. Two handred and fifty infants were tested in this study using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE). The TEOAE pass required the response of≥10dB or reproducibility of≥70%. The DPOAE were judged to be present if the DPOAE level was more than 2SD above the associated noise floor repeatable in 2, 3 and 4kHz. Of 500 ears, 42 ears (8.4%) failed TEOAE screening, and 60 ears (12%) failed DPOAE screening, respectively. The measurement of OAE was repeated in a follow-up examination after 4 weeks. Two infants failed OAF rescreening. If OAE were again absent, evoked auditory brainstem responses were measured. No infant was found to have hearing dysfunction.
We conclude that time and experience are important factors in the development and refinement of a universal hearing screen program.
