20-11-24
What is childhood hearing loss?
Childhood hearing loss occurs in 1 in 750 newborns. In about half of the cases, the hearing loss is moderate, while in the rest it is equally distributed between severe hearing loss and deafness. Early detection of hearing loss from the very first weeks of birth contributes effectively to its treatment. This is of vital importance both for the development of speech and for the mental, emotional, social and psychological development of children.
What are otoacoustic emissions?
Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) are a modern, non-invasive method of testing the hearing of newborns (screening). This specific test is now performed as a routine test on all newborns in major medical centers in the United States and Western Europe, in accordance with recommendations from the World Health Organization and the World Organization for Childhood Hearing Loss.
Is the test difficult? How long does it take?
The test is painless, safe, and short. During this test, specially designed sounds are emitted from the device towards the ear, specifically towards the cochlea (inner ear). The cochlea, after being stimulated, emits its own sounds in the opposite direction, that is, outwards. The sound response is recorded and analyzed. In this way, it is confirmed that the newborn meets the basic requirements for the normal development of his hearing. The presence of auditory stimuli indicates normal hearing at a rate of 98%.
When should this test be performed?
Otoacoustic emissions can be performed from the 2nd day of the child's birth. It is recommended that this examination be performed at least until the first trimester of life for the early detection of hearing loss.
What should be the conditions for conducting the examination?
We prefer that the child is in a sleeping state, although there are many cases where we perform the examination with the child simply calmly in the arms of the mother or father. We usually recommend that parents feed the child shortly before the scheduled examination, so that shortly afterwards he or she falls asleep or at least remains calm.
If no otoacoustic emissions are recorded during the first examination, does this mean that the child is hard of hearing or deaf?
When no otoacoustic emissions are recorded in one or both ears during the first examination of the newborn, then we recommend repeating the examination in one month. A common cause of failure is the presence of amniotic fluid in the external auditory canal, which requires cleaning. Another cause is the presence of fluid behind the eardrum, which is treated with special treatment. If we exclude these two problems and still do not record otoacoustic emissions on the re-examination, then we proceed to a more specialized examination, the auditory brainstem response (ABR). The disadvantage of the latter is that it is performed under sedation.
What is the disadvantage of the examination?
With otoacoustic emissions, it is generally checked whether the child is hard of hearing or not. However, they do not allow the level of hearing to be determined. This can only be done with a more specialized examination, the auditory brainstem response (ABR).