Current status of newborn hearing screening at the General Hospital of Kavala, Greece
Papadopoulou D and Gerostergiou E
General Hospital of Kavala, Greece
: J Otol Rhinol
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiology of congenital hearing impairment in newborn infants in Kavala, in the first semester of life within the universal newborn hearing screening program (UNHS). On the basis of these programs, the estimated prevalence of permanent hearing loss is 1.33 per 1000 live births. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Between January 2016 and October 2018, all healthy neonates upto six months old were screened for hearing loss via the detection and analysis of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) followed by auditory brainstem response (ABR) in those who did not pass TEOAE. Findings: A total of 433 neonates were tested of which 235 were male and 198 were female. Out of them 60(14.18%) were asked to be retested due to ear wax within two weeks. One (0.24%) was diagnosed with otitis media, received treatment and passed TEOAE afterwards. Two (0.47%) were diagnosed with secretory otitis media but no follow-up was possible in both infants. Three (0.71%) were diagnosed with congenital hearing loss, of which two were bilateral. For those three infants, it was recommended to use a hearing aid or undergo cochlear implantation in case the infant’s hearing was not improved. Conclusion & Significance: UNHS performed in our hospital constitutes a convenient, immediate, minimally invasive mean to detect hearing impairment in early age. Therefore, it is highly recommended that UNHS is compulsory to all newborns before hospital discharge from now on. Recent Publications 1. Chibisova S S (2018) Epidemiology of hearing loss in children of the first year of life. Vestnik Otorinolaringologii 83(4):37-42. 2. Turchetta R (2018) Universal newborn hearing screening in the Lazio region, Italy Italian Journal of Pediatrics 44(1):104. 3. Pasha Z (2018) Screening of Hearing in Newborn infants: follow-up and outcome after 40930 births in Babol, Northern Iran. Archives of Iranian Medicine (AIM) 21(9):382-386. 4. Chung YS (2018) Current status of newborn hearing screening in the southeastern region of Korea. Epidemiology and Health e2018044. 5. Therrell B L (2018) Newborn screening in the developing countries. Current Opinion in Pediatrics 30(6):734-739.
Biography
Papadopoulou D completed her undergraduate training at Democritus University of Thrace and is currently a second year Resident in Otorhinolaryngology Department in Kavala Hospital. By showing great interest in the everyday clinical practice, she contributes positively to the clinic’s work. She participates essentially in the hearing and vertigo clinic, and is especially passionate about Audiology, both at the practical and scientific level. She is overall, a very promising future doctor.
E-mail: geoar_dimpap@yahoo.com
