2007 Volume 50 Issue 6 Pages 665-670
Eighty cases of hearing impairment detected by a newborn screening program were referred to our hospital for a complete audiometric re-examination between January 2000 and December 2004. Fifty-two of the 80 cases were boys and 28 were girls. In 20 cases, the referral forms were inadequate, so that we could not ascertain what kind of equipment had been used for the screening test or which side was involved. We finally diagnosed bilateral hearing impairment in 24 cases (30%), and unilateral hearing impairment in 22 cases (28%). There was one case in which unilateral hearing impairment had been diagnosed at the time of the newborn screening test, but in which we finally diagnosed bilateral severe sensorineural hearing impairment.
Ten cases, including three with bilateral hearing impairment, did not attend their scheduled ABR appointments, hence the diagnosis in these cases remains uncertain. One of these cases was diagnosed to have bilateral hearing impairment at a health checkup conducted two years later.
Those diagnosed to have bilateral hearing impairment wore the hearing aid from an early stage and were provided information about rehabilitation institutions. However, in some cases, the patients stopped visiting the examining institutes before the final diagnoses were given. We think that it is necessary to review the procedures at the examining institutes, especially those related to the observation methods and the explanations given to the parents.