title: Neonatal hearing screening--experience from a tertiary care hospital in southern India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To implement a neonatal hearing screening program using automated auditory brainstem response audiometry in a tertiary care set-up and assess the prevalence of neonatal hearing loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care hospital in Southern India.
  
  
  METHODS
  9448 babies born in the hospital over a period of 11 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  The neonates were subjected to a two stage sequential screening using the BERAphone. Neonates suspected of hearing loss underwent confirmatory testing using auditory steady state response audiometry. In addition, serological testing for TORCH infections, and connexin 26 gene was done.
  
  
  METHODS
  Feasibility of the screening program, prevalence of neonatal hearing loss and risk factors found in association with neonatal hearing loss.
  
  
  RESULTS
  164 babies were identified as suspected for hearing loss, but of which, only 58 visited the audiovestibular clinic. Among 45 babies who had confirmatory testing, 39 were confirmed to have hearing loss and were rehabilitated appropriately. 30 babies had one or more risk factors; 6 had evidence of TORCH infection and 1 had connexin 26 gene mutation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neonatal hearing screening using BERAphone is a feasible service. The estimated prevalence of confirmed hearing loss was comparable to that in literature. Overcoming the large numbers of loss to follow-up proves to be a challenge in the implementation of such a program.
authors.affiliation: Departments of ENT, *Neonatology and #Medical Genetics, Christian Medical College, Vellore, TN, India. Correspondence to: Dr Achamma Balraj, Department of ENT, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632 004, India. abalraj@cmcvellore.ac.in.
authors.forename: Ann Mary
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Augustine
authors.forename: Atanu Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Jana
authors.forename: Kurien Anil
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kuruvilla
authors.forename: Sumita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Danda
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lepcha
authors.forename: Jareen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ebenezer
authors.forename: Roshna Rose
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tyagi
authors.forename: Achamma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balraj
mesh_terms: D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D063128:Tertiary Health Care