[Hearing screening with automatic evaluation of TEOAE and a new method of automatic evaluation of early auditory evoked potentials. Optimization and field trial].
OBJECTIVE
To make a rational decision as to which screening test might be adequate as a universal newborn hearing screening, different methods have to be tested under "real-life" conditions. In addition, a good reference is required as "golden standard."


METHODS
In the study presented here, an ABR with a novel algorithm for threshold-estimation was optimized and compared to TEOAE (Echoscreen) and DPOAE (GSI 60) in a three-step protocol using a standard click-evoked ABR (Evoselect) as reference of sensitivity and specificity.


RESULTS
26 ears were found to be hearing-impaired. All of them were also detected by each of the screening method (sensitivity 100%). Specificity in the final "step 2" of the study was around 87.7/92.3% for Echoscreen, 82.4/84.4% for DPOAE and 82.4/89.1 for Evoflash (left/right, respectively). Differences were not at all significant (X2-test, p > > 0.05). In summary, results were somewhat inferior to those found by other authors, probably due to more difficult conditions in the "real-life" setting.


CONCLUSIONS
A higher rate of false-alarm shows that a two-step screening is necessary. Therefore, increased resources for diagnostic procedures are required.
Schönweiler
R
R
Abteilung für Phoniatrie und Pädaudiologie, Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenkrankheiten, Universitätsklinikum Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck. rainer.schoenweiler@phoniatrie.mu-luebeck.de
Tioutou
E
E
Tolloczko
R
R
Pankau
R
R
Ptok
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D001300:Audiometry, Evoked Response / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003638:Deafness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*