PMID: 30221527Sep 18, 2018Paper

Screening of Hearing in Newborn Infants: Follow-Up and Outcome After 40930 Births in Babol, Northern Iran

Archives of Iranian Medicine
Yadollah Zahed PashaErmia Zahed Pasha

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the results of hearing screening in all newborn infants, and their follow-up in Babol, northern Iran. Between 2006 and 2014, all healthy neonates delivered in 3 hospitals were included in this cross-sectional study. Newborns were screened using the transient evoked otoacoustic emissions test before discharge. Those who failed to pass the examination were tested for auditory brainstem response (ABR) by the age of one month. The infants referred from the previous level underwent tests of auditory steady state response, ABR and impedance audiometry before the age of 3 months. For infants with the diagnosis of bilateral hearing impairment, it was recommended to use a hearing aid in 3 months. Then, their parents were recommended to take infants again to the hearing testing centers within next 6 months. If the infant's hearing was not improved, he/she was advised to undergo cochlear implantation. In total, 40930 newborns were screened. Out of them, 62 (1.5 per 1000 live births) were finally diagnosed to have hearing impairment, of whom 14 had unilateral and 48 had bilateral disorders (candidate for supportive measures). Overall, 986 (2.4%) were lost to follow-up and 11 (0.03%) died over th...Continue Reading

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