title: Transient evoked oto-acoustic emission screening in newborns in Bogotá, Colombia: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics and performance of transient evoked oto-acoustic emission (TEOAE) hearing screening in newborns in Colombia, and analyze all possible variables and factors affecting the results.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational, descriptive and retrospective study with bivariate analysis was performed. The study population consisted of 56,822 newborns evaluated at the private institution, PREGEN. TEOAE testing was carried out as a pediatric hearing screening test from December 2003 to March 2012. The database from PREGEN was revised, and the protocol for evaluation included the same screening test performed twice. Demographic characteristics were recorded and the newborn's background was evaluated. Basic statistics of the qualitative and quantitative variables, and statistical analysis were obtained using the chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 56,822 records examined, 0.28% were classed as abnormal, which corresponded to a prevalence of 1 in 350. In the screened newborns, 0.08% had a major abnormality or other clinical condition diagnosed, and 0.29% reported a family history of hearing loss. A prevalence of 6.7 in 10,000 was obtained for microtia, which is similar to the 6.4 in 10,000 previously reported in Colombia (database of the Latin-American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations - ECLAMC). Statistical analysis demonstrated an association between presenting with a major anomaly and a higher frequency of abnormal results on both TEOAE tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Newborns in Colombia do not currently undergo screening for the early detection of hearing impairment. The results from this study suggest TEOAE screening tests, when performed twice, are able to detect hearing abnormalities in newborns. This highlights the need to improve the long-term evaluation and monitoring of patients in Colombia through diagnostic tests, and to provide tests that are both sensitive and specific. Furthermore, the use of TEOAE screening is justified by the favorable cost: benefit ratio demonstrated in many countries worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia; Red Colombiana de Medicina Genética - PREGEN, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jaime E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Mary A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zarante
authors.affiliation: Red Colombiana de Medicina Genética - PREGEN, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Red Colombiana de Medicina Genética - PREGEN, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Constanza
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gelvez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address: mtamayo@javeriana.edu.co.
authors.forename: Marta L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tamayo
mesh_terms: D001299:Audiometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003105:Colombia; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Deafness; Hearing loss; Newborn; Screening; Transient evoked oto-acoustic emission