A comparison of screening methods in school-aged children.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to compare the findings of 3 different hearing screening methods in school-aged children.


METHODS
Prospective testing of second- and third-grade students in their schools was carried out.


METHODS
Three hundred children (599 ears) were screened by using 3 test modalities, pure-tone audiometry, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), and tympanometry.


RESULTS
All of the tests were normal in 532 ears (89%), and all were abnormal in 12 ears (2%). Tympanometry yielded the most abnormalities (8.3%), and pure-tone testing demonstrated the fewest (3.3%), with a positive rate of 6.3% for DPOAE testing. False-positive rates were 1.2%, 4.2%, and 6.4% for pure tones, DPOAE, and tympanometry, respectively, when normal results on pure-tones or DPOAE were taken to represent true hearing.


CONCLUSIONS
We continue to recommend pure-tone testing as an effective screening method, with follow-up by using otoacoustic emissions in those who fail the pure-tone test.
Krueger
Wesley W O
WW
Otology Group-San Antonio, 9150 Huebner Road, Suite 160, San Antonio, TX 78240, USA. wkruegermd@yahoo.com
Ferguson
Ladonna
L
D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests / Q000379:methods*; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity