A Greek Pediatric Word Recognition Test by Picture Identification.

(1) Background: The study aimed to construct a clinically valuable closet-set WRS test with a picture identification task for young Greek-speaking children. (2) Methods: The test material was meticulously designed based on specific criteria. To determine which parts of speech are used more frequently by preschool children, a spontaneous speech sample (250 words per child) was acquired from three hundred children aged 3 to 6 years (M = 4.56, SD = 0.90). The study involved the development and application of two phonemically balanced 50-word lists suitable for young children, as well as the creation of picture representations for each response set. All testing was accomplished in an audiometric booth that exceeded the audiometric rooms' ambient noise level standards. The speech signal was routed from a laptop computer to a GSI 61 audiometer, and all test items were delivered from the audiometer to the subject. (3) Results: The results indicated that materials for a WRS test for young children are developed with high face validity and are applicable for children as young as three years old. The test satisfies the essential components needed for a WRS test. It consists of two phonemically balanced 50-word lists with low-redundancy bisyllabic words, with each list containing 227 phonemes. (5) Conclusions: This novel closed-set WRS test presents a valuable tool for assessing speech perception skills in young Greek-speaking children. The test results have various applications, including diagnosis, research, and (re)habilitation.

Novel Indices to Improve the Diagnostic Ability of Nocturnal Oximetry in Children with OSAS.

Nocturnal pulse oximetry (NOx) is an alternative diagnostic test for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in childhood yet with variable diagnostic performance. Our aim was to apply advanced signal analysis to develop novel and more accurate NOx indices. We studied 45 children aged 3-10 years who underwent adenotonsillectomy for adenotonsillar hypertrophy and OSAS symptoms. Participants performed NOx before and three months after surgery, and the changes in McGill oximetry score (MOS), oxygen desaturation ≥3% index (ODI3), and the novel parameters-cumulative saturation area (CSA) and oxygen saturation sample entropy (SSE)-were assessed. There was a significant improvement (p < 0.001) in all NOx indices. When pre- and post-adenotonsillectomy NOx recordings were compared, the MOS had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.811 with 63.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity at a cutoff >1. The AUC of ODI3 was 0.994, with 97.8% sensitivity and 91.1% specificity at a cutoff of >3.6 events per hour. The CSA and SSE had an AUC of 1.00, with 100% sensitivity and specificity at a cutoff of >293 and >0.99, respectively. We conclude that the herein-introduced indices-CSA and SSE-hold promise in improving the diagnostic ability of NOx in children suspected of OSAS.

Hearing screening test in neonates born to COVID-19-positive mothers.

SARS-CoV-2, the responsible virus for the COVID-19 pandemic, has demonstrated neurotropic properties indicated by cases presenting with auditory and vestibular system insults. The expression of ACE-2 receptors in the placenta and the detection of IgM antibodies against the virus in the fetuses of pregnant women suffering from COVID-19 render vertical transmission of the infection to the fetus possible. Thus, our study aims to examine whether, similar to other viruses like CMV, SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for congenital hearing loss. This is a retrospective study in a regional pediatric hospital. The medical records of newborns (n = 111) born by mothers positive for COVID-19 during pregnancy who underwent screening hearing tests with Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAE) and Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) from February 2020 to June 2022 were reviewed. Neonates with additional aggravating factors for congenital hearing loss were excluded from the study. For the study period, nine mothers were found positive during the first trimester, twenty mothers in the second trimester, and eighty-three mothers in the third trimester. TEOAEs test and AABR test scored PASS bilaterally in all neonates tested. CONCLUSION: Infection with COVID-19 during pregnancy was not a risk factor for hearing loss, similar to other studies. WHAT IS KNOWN: • The pathogenetic mechanism of the viral-induced impairment of the organ of Corti includes direct damage to the hair cells and indirect damage due to the induction of the innate inflammatory response. • Early data suggested that the SARS-CoV-2 virus also has neurotropic properties with manifestations from the sensory epithelia. WHAT IS NEW: • Although the intrauterine infection remains controversial, the expression of the ACE-2 receptor on the placenta and the detection of IgM antibodies, as well as the covid-19 genome in fetuses, make the vertical transmission tenable. • In our study, the newborn hearing screening results indicate that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is not a risk factor for hearing loss.

Comparison of click auditory brainstem response and chirp auditory steady-state response thresholds in children.

OBJECTIVES: During the last twenty years, auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) are being used as an alternative and adjunct to the auditory brainstem response (ABR) for threshold estimation. This study aims at comparing and finding correlations between air-conduction thresholds using the traditional click ABR and the relatively recently used chirp ASSR test methods, for a large pediatric population. METHODS: One hundred and thirty children referred to our Clinic from Hospitals and Clinics of Western Greece ranging in age from 5 to 79 months (mean age = 32.7 ±â€¯14.0 months) participated prospectively. RESULTS: Strong and statistically significant correlations were found between the average of the 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz chirp ASSR thresholds and click ABR thresholds (rs = .826, p < .001), and the average of the 2000 and 4000 Hz chirp ASSR and click ABR thresholds (rs = .824, p < .001). Additionally, there have been measurements for some children with hearing loss in the severe-to-profound range during the ASSR test, but no ABR at the upper limits of the equipment. Click ABR and chirp ASSR thresholds averaged at 2000 and 4000 Hz were within 20 dB in 90% of the ears tested. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the inclusion of chirp ASSRs into the pediatric test battery and indicate that they may provide an essential adjunct to the click ABR, especially in the management of very young children with severe-to-profound hearing loss.

Ultrasound-guided removal of impalpable, radiolucent vegetative foreign bodies embedded into facial soft tissues of a toddler.

Otolaryngologists frequently encounter children with foreign bodies retained inside the lumen of their upper aerodigestive tract. However, total capture in the soft tissues happens rarely, and could be clinically, as well as radiographically, silent. Ultrasonography is a safe and effective imaging modality, aiding both diagnosis and surgical treatment. We report on a 14-month girl with chronic, fluctuating cheek edema and erythema, induced by an impalpable, radiolucent bundle of organic fibers embedded intramuscularly. Foreign body identification and atraumatic removal were facilitated by real-time ultrasound scanning.