A preliminary study on two-technology neonatal hearing screening

Introduction: Newborn hearing screening is essential for the early identification of hearing loss, which can lead to timely intervention and improved outcomes for affected infants. Two commonly used screening methods are distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and automated auditory brainstem response (AABR). While both methods are effective, there is still ongoing research to determine which method is more efficient and accurate. The aim is to compare the referral rates of DPOAE and AABR in neonatal hearing screening and to evaluate the efficacy of the two technologies in identifying hearing loss in high-risk and well-born neonates by adhering to the new 1–3-month timeline (Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, 2019). Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted on 404 neonates (808 ears) in a multispecialty hospital in Tamil Nadu, India. Neonates with referral criteria for either DPOAE or AABR in the first step were rescreened immediately with the preferred technology. Obtained data were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: Among 404 (100%) neonates screened, 364 (90.14%) were well-born and 40 (9.90%) were high-risk babies. The total referral rate for DPOAE was 70 (8.6%) among which 54 (7.5%) were well-born babies and 16 (20%) were high-risk infants. The total referral rate in AABR was 68 (8.4%) among which 52 (7.2%) were well-born and 16 (20%) were high-risk infants. All the infants enrolled were screened by 1 month and no referrals were obtained for a detailed audiological diagnostic for reaching the 2-month benchmark and intervention by 3 months. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the groups (P > .01). Conclusion: AABR had similar referral rates with DPOAE in neonatal hearing screening. The two-technology screening protocol was effective in identifying hearing loss in high-risk and well-born neonates. The inclusion of AABR in the screening protocol proves utility in detecting retrocochlear pathologies such as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD).