Comparison of neonatal hearing screening devices

ABSTRACT

Incidence studies estimate that 1-3 per 1000 full term normal neonates and 2-4 of high-risk newborns per 100 have severe bilateral hearing loss. In response, universal hearing screening has been proposed; however, choosing the most appropriate technology continues to be an obstacle. The purpose of the current preliminary study was to compare test results from thirty-two full-term newborns using three types of screening devices, Natus Algo 2 AABR, Otodynamics EchoCheck TEE, and Biologic AuDx DPE. Results indicate that the Natus had the highest pass percentage rate for the right and left ears at 97 and 91 respectively, while the other two devices had pass percentage rates between 31 and 56. Test duration time for the Natus was 22.5 minutes compared with 5.8-6.4 minutes for the other devices. Despite the longer duration time, our findings favor using the Natus, given its accurate representation of incidence data.