Publication:

Efficacy of TEOAEs and BERA as screening tools for deafness in newborn

Background Hearing during the first 6 months of life is also considered as crucial for normal acquisition of language. Hence, infants with permanent congenital and early hearing loss identified by 6 months of age and given appropriate and timely support are reported to achieve better language outcomes than those identified later than 6 months of age.

Methods The study group constituted of 200 ears of 100 neonates (0-28 days) that were randomly selected. The neonates were taken from immunization clinic, newborn nursery, neonatal ward and intensive care unit of our hospital and also those referred from other hospitals.

Results There were 4 neonates (8 ears) with high risk factors of hyperbilirubinemia, prematurity and preterm born. These were subjected to Transient Evoked Oto-acoustic Emission (TEOAE) as well as BERA. Out of the 8 ears, 3 ears showed TEOAE fail, one had bilateral and the other had unilateral TEOAE fail. 5 ears passed TEOAE test.

Conclusions TEOAE cannot completely replace BERA as screening modality for hearing impairment in neonates, however can complement it.