AUDIOMETRIC EXAMINATION OF INFANTS REFERRED AFTER NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING ATUNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA HOSPITAL

Abstract

We reviewed the data of 57 cases with hearing impairment detected by newborn hearing screening from April 2006 to March 2011. The newborn hearing screening was conducted by automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) in 21 cases, by otoacoustic emission (OAE) in 31 cases, and by a combination of OAE and AABR in 5 cases. The mean age of the infants at the first visit was 2.5 months, and 26 infants were brought within one month after birth. Twenty-five of the 57 infants were referred from the maternity clinic. Newborn hearing screening showed hearing impairment on both sides in 21 cases and hearing impairment on one side in 36 cases. Bilateral hearing loss was observed in 16 cases, including 8 of 10 cases screened by AABR, 6 of 11 cases screened by OAE, and 2 cases who were indicated hearing impairment on one side by OAE. The mean age at the first fitting of a hearing aid was 8.9 months, however, when one case with progressive hearing loss was excluded, it was 6.9 months.