[Early diagnosis of deafness and severe hearing loss].
BACKGROUND
Universal neonatal hearing screening can now be done by practical application of hearing physiology and automated techniques for registration of otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem responses.


METHODS
This review gives the theoretical and practical background for implementation of neonatal hearing screening in Norway.


RESULTS
With the diagnostic methods used up to now, age at diagnosis of permanent hearing loss and start of habilitation has not been lowered during the last decades. Based on early diagnosis, habilitation of permanent hearing impairment can now be improved to an earlier unknown extent. The importance of continued efforts for diagnosis of postnatal hearing loss through infancy and adolescence is stressed. Disapproval of neonatal hearing screening based on methodological problems and possible parental concern is largely non-existent.


CONCLUSIONS
The benefits of early diagnosis of hearing loss outweigh the costs and efforts invested in screening.
Elverland
Hans H
HH
Øre-nese-halsavdelingen Universitetssykehuset Nord-Norge 9038 Tromsø. helverla@online.no
Mjølsnes
Olav
O
Hjørnevik
Berit
B
Arnesen
Atle Rønning
AR
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003638:Deafness / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D009664:Norway; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic